Tapes on the Floor

Album Review: The Black Swans + The Fishermen Three "Knives / Up Here"

2012-01-16T14:57:00.001-06:00

In a rare case of Midwest meets East Coast by way of the West Coast, Ohio-based folk-rockers the Black Swans have put out a new song on a split 7-inch with Brooklyn's the Fishermen Three, released by upstart Berkeley, CA label Shelved Records. The connecting tissue in this unlikely union is Raphi Gottesman, a drummer who has played with both of these bands and is now fostering his own small record label. This inaugural vinyl release suggests that Gottesman has an ear for pleasantly askew, forward-thinking artists.

In their typically understated fashion, the Black Swans' contribution finds frontman Jerry DeCicca leading the group in a slow-burning track called "Knives." Harnessing a sparse, oftentimes haunting arrangement, DeCicca details the myriad uses and inherent danger of the titular cutlery in his calm, calculated drawl. If the quiet, unsettling nature of the song's opening moments acts as a proverbial stab at the listener's gut, then the chorus' major key modulation replicates the twisting of the blade. The song's sharpest moment comes as DeCicca's poignantly distills the inescapable personal quality of the age-old weapon, "You kill with a knife / You've got blood on your hands."

On the other side of the record, the Fisherman Three contrast the Black Swans' grounded lament with an interstellar ode, entitled "Up Here." Singer Simon Beins takes on the guise of a solitary explorer of the final frontier, in search of an inhabitable planet and the remedy for his broken heart. The group's stark arrangement evokes the vast emptiness of space, with an inky, black acoustic strum joined by shining pinpoints of Rhodes and electric guitar. Pondering the emotional repercussions of a gravity-free environment, Beins sounds like a veritable cosmic psychoanalyst. With the avoidance sci-fi music tropes, save for a single synth-like interlude, the Fisherman Three craft a surprisingly down-to-earth track concerning post-apocalyptic life among the stars.

The split 7-inch is available via Shelved Records. The Black Swans and the Fisherman Three will set out on a West Coast tour in support of the record on January 20— dates can be found here.

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Albums of 2011

2011-12-31T15:06:00.001-06:00

In compiling my favorite albums this year, I tried to think back and include records that deserved to be heard in their entirety. It's been interesting to observe how the music business has slowly slipped back towards a single-driven mentality, precipitated by on-demand listening and fragmented purchasing options. Increasingly, there aren't a whole lot of reasons to put much thought into crafting a cohesive, long-playing listening experience. Which is why it's all the more impressive when a group is able to make their entire record mesh in the kind of way that almost forces you to take it all in at once. Assembled here are the albums of 2011 that pulled me in and didn't relinquish my attention until the conclusion of their running time.

Mind Bokeh - Bibio
He may not be a household name, but it was hard to go a week without hearing Bibio's particular brand of ear candy bouncing through the speakers at a bar or providing the backdrop to a commercial. The British producer's penchant for refined compositions brimming with hooks is second to none, and on his latest release he manages to toe the line between his pop-inclinations and experimental sensibilities. While a hazy, bokeh-inducing atmosphere surrounds subdued cuts such as "Excuses" and "Artist's Valley," it's the focused precision of tracks like "K For Kelson" and "Wake Up!" that cause ears to perk up. Wonderfully multifarious in its composition, Mind Bokeh is the product of a singular mind brimming with worthwhile ideas.

Deerhoof Vs. Evil - Deerhoof
As delightfully strange as they've always been, Deerhoof's latest takes on an imposing foe and defeats it with ample bursts of their often maniacal, but inherently good energy. You can hear it in the heroic cadence of "Super Duper Rescue Heads !" and the intrepid pulse of "Behold a Marvel in the Darkness." The almost adolescent vocals of Satomi Matsuzaki are overseen by the powerful melodies of guitarists Ed Rodriguez and John Dieterich, propelling tracks into spacey, unexpected tangents at a moment's notice. Deerhoof's unusual, fearless approach to music takes no prisoners and doesn't conform to expectations, which is just the way it should be.

Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
While the debut record from this Seattle-based group was an undeniable folk rock revelation, it took a sophomore release to truly realize the depth and potential of their craft. Notorious for its tumultuous road to completion, Robin Pecknold and his cohorts deliver an album that unquestionably benefited from its volatile conception. Broad in scope and length, the earnest refrains of "Helplessness Blues" and "Grown Ocean" account for some of the more transcendent musical moments of the year. More than almost any other album on this list, it deserves to be heard in a single sitting. Set aside an hour to bask in this immaculate musical document of a joyous struggle— you won't be disappointed.

Giving and Receiving - LAKE
The latest album from LAKE was much like receiving a letter from the Olympia collective, gently reassuring me that they're still around. They're the sort of group that easily slips off the radar— releasing their music through K Records and sticking to small tours for promotion. But the music held within their latest record deserves to be heard, providing a worthy follow-up to 2009's Let's Build A Roof. Though losing the production assistance of Karl Blau, the band delivers songs like "Roger Miller" and "Within/Without," which are logical extensions of the sound he helped to nurture. Left-field experimentation in the form of "Mother Nature's Promise" proves equally endearing. I just hope they'll send along a postcard when they're ready to release their next album.

Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will - Mogwai

Handily gracing us with the year's best album title, the Scottish post-rockers also manage to deliver a record teeming with variations on the group's indelible sound. Under the watchful eyes and discerning ears of Paul Savage (who sat behind the boards on Young Team) Mogwai thrives on heavy riffs and generous amounts of distortion. Leading off with the grandiose chords of "White Noise," the band plunges head first into a group of tracks that loses very little momentum from start to finish. From the grinding march of "Rano Pano" to the persistent new wave synths of "George Square Thatcher Death Party," the record finds new ways to circumvent convenient classification at every turn. Familiar yet unpredictable, Mogwai's latest contains some of the most gracefully genre-defying music you're likely to hear.

Dancer Equired - Times New Viking

After years of recording albums using everything from four-tracks to VCRs, the lo-fi Columbus trio headed to a studio for their Merge Records debut. "It’s just funny to be in a band for seven years and you just start talking about recording in a studio like it’s this crazy thing," noted guitarist Jared Phillips in an interview I conducted shortly after the album's release. Regardless of their fidelity, the songs easily qualify as some of the best tracks TNV has ever penned. Wrapped in crunchy guitar and sludgy organs, songs like "Try Harder" and "Fuck Her Tears"derive their power from the dual vocal delvery of Adam Elliott and Beth Murphy. You have to come out of the basement at some point—these Ohioans accomplished that feat with panache and in their own time.

Goodbye Bread - Ty Segall

I've called Ty Segall many things since discovering his music through 2009 Goner Records release Lemons. The heir apparent to Jay Reatard's vacated garage rock throne. The new master of the boisterous, sub-three minute, hook-ridden rock song. However, I truly wasn't expecting to see Segall flexing his songwriting chops to such satisfying results on his inaugural Drag City release. Tracks like "You Make The Sun Fry" and "My Head Explodes" cover familiar territory, packing yelped lyrics and fuzzed-out guitars into succinct servings. But Segall's work is most intriguing when he lets a songs like "I Can't Feel It" run its course, giving every facet its chance to shine. It's his most refreshingly mature effort to date—growing up isn't the end of the world.

D - White Denim

One listen to the latest release from this genre-mashing quartet, and it's clear that they're doing their part to keep Austin weird. Fluctuating effortlessly from the bluesy prog-rock of "It's Him" and "Drug" to the soulful wail of "Street Joy," James Petralli and company constantly redefine listener expectations with their far-reaching palette. What's even more striking is the amount of sophisticated restraint shown when putting these ideas to tape. For a band dabbling in genres which lend themselves to extended experimentation, White Denim's entries are magnificently compact, dense with moments that lesser players would be inclined to spread out. Hats off to a group that can conceptualize a record so rife with varied strangeness, yet so easily accessible.

The Whole Love - Wilco

I never could bring myself to write a full-fledged review of this record, because at the time of its release I still didn't quite know what to say about it. Months later, I'm still not sure why it works so much better than the band's previous two releases. Perhaps the answer is hidden in the synth-fueled deviations of "Art of Almost," seamlessly melding Mikael Jorgensen's pulsing keyboards with a Nels Cline guitar freak out. Maybe the reason lies within the slightly askew pop sensibility of rockers like "I Might" and "Dawned On Me." It's also conceivable that the explanation is tucked in between the endlessly repetitious melodies of the slow-burning "One Sunday Morning." Then again, there's always the chance that this is just what happens when Jeff Tweedy gathers these gentleman in a Chicago loft and lets the tape roll. I can't explain it, I just know that there's a whole lot of things that I love about it.

Wild Flag - Wild Flag

It was love at first sight when I caught a set from this Portland four-piece at a street festival in Chicago, weeks before their debut record was released. Upon hearing Carrie Brownstein and Mary Timony shredding and singing in unison, it became abundantly clear that Wild Flag was something more than an all-female, indie rock supergroup. Their inaugural, self-titled album reaffirmed those feelings, unfurling itself with reckless abandon. From the tightly-crafted pop of "Romance" to the more expansive, psych-inclined "Glass Tambourine," the quartet's varied delivery never ceases to impress. Given the combined experience of the players involved, Wild Flag's success should come as no surprise. However, considering just how delightful the results are, one can only hope they'll see fit to give it another shot somewhere down the line.

Looking forward to giving a damn about music in 2012. Happy New Year!

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2011 (Part II)

2011-12-26T09:33:00.000-06:00

I hope you caught the first part of my favorite 40 tracks of 2011, because we're on to the second half of the list. If you'd like to listen along, check out my Spotify playlists which contain all but a few of the tracks from both the first and second parts of the list. Let's finish this off— here are the rest of the songs from the past year that caught my ear and didn't let go.

"In This Grass" - Raleigh Moncrief
Much like Anticon labelmate Baths, the music of producer turned musician Raleigh Moncrief takes pleasure in blurring the line between electronic and acoustic. On this almost entirely instrumental track from his debut, strummed guitars merge with warbling synths against a thumping beat. The hooks come frequently and oftentimes unexpectedly, challenging your expectations to the very end.
Buy: Watered Lawn

"It's Real" - Real Estate
I think I've probably heard this song run through my mind more times than I've actually listened to it, which is a testament to just how infectious it really is. These New Jersey boys bring a quick tempo and deceivingly simple riff to the table, descending into some of the most delightful guitar rock you're likely to hear until they finish their next record.
Buy: Days

"Whitman" - Richard Swift
Swift has been sitting behind the mixing board far more than he's been in front of a piano as of late, making his latest EP something of a treat. The persistent beat of this opening track isn't as nuanced as some of his past work, but with his distinctive voice in the forefront and his usual array of cutting room flourishes in tow, you can't help but be glad to be hearing from him once again.
Buy: Walt Wolfman

"Mládek" - Russian Circles
As one the most reliable source of metal-tinged post-rock dirges over the past few years, the Chicago trio doesn't disappoint with their latest release. "Mládek" quickly establishes itself as one of the records more varied offerings, slowly building from brooding atmospherics to a fast-paced, thrashing crescendo. It all deftly treads the line between epic and over-the-top.
Buy: Empros

"Danger" - Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside
It'd be tempting to say that Sallie Ford was born in the wrong decade, but her distinctive, jazz singer-like delivery is a revelation in the modern musical landscape. Set against the buoyant rockabilly of her Portland-derived band, Ford's voice creates a sound somewhere between that of the past and the relative present. The only thing dangerous about listening to this track is not giving it a chance to reel you in.
Buy: Dirty Radio

"Cold Front Blues" - Southeast Engine
The Athens, OH folk rockers had a quietly triumphant year, with their latest record garnering intense critical praise nationwide. It's fitting that the album's best track retains a similar sense of modesty—a simple, bluesy stomp about hard times and freezing weather set to a tinkling piano. "Ain't that the way things go..." belts out a characteristically earnest Adam Remnant, ever cheerful in the face of hardship.
Buy: Canary

"Tigers" - Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Perhaps it was the the summer spent on the road with his old band, but the latest from Malkmus comes the closest to capturing Pavement's glory days than any record he's made since their split. Nowhere is this more evident than on the album's first track, an efficient rock dity built around a tuneful hook and some of the most joyfully inane lyrics Malkmus has penned in quite some time. Something tells me we have Beck to thank...
Buy: Mirror Traffic

"Screws Get Loose" - Those Darlins
I'll forever remember Those Darlins as a rowdy group of girls who break bones partying too hard after shows. It's why an undeniably fun track like this one works so well— these ladies are used to rolling with the punches, just listen to that detuned guitar solo. Honestly, there's nothing loose about this song—it's all tight hooks and good times.
Buy: Screws Get Loose

"No Room To Live" - Times New Viking
"I just wanted someone else to do all the monkey crap," Times New Viking guitarist Jared Phillips told me, referring to the group's decision to hit the studio. The results are some of the best tracks the band has put to tape, especially this one, a mournful pop song made of droning organs and pulsing drums. At two minutes long, it's a bite sized chunk of minimalistic brilliance begging to be put on loop.
Buy: Dancer Equired

"New Beat" - Toro y Moi
Ditching the chillwave trappings of his debut, Chazwick Bundick recast himself as an electro-funk troubadour with this song from his latest record. Immaculately selected synths flesh out a rousing tune that quickly solidifies itself as a marked evolution from the project's electronic beginnings. Keep it up Bundick— the people need to dance.
Buy: Underneath the Pine

"Bizness" - tUnE-yArDs
If there was one artist who stood out from the pack this year, it was the fearlessly jovial Merrill Garbus. Armed with looping pedals, drums and a magnificent set of pipes, the shuffling strains of "Bizness" take form almost of their own accord. When the triumphant sax line hits, it does so like an epiphany— I'm not sure what Garbus tapped into, but whatever it is, I hope she keeps it coming.
Buy: w h o k i l l

"Will Do" - TV On The Radio
The Brooklyn quintet's latest was a rather sullen affair, and it's lead single didn't stray far from that mandate. Resigning themselves to an resolute beat, Tunde and company build a melancholy love song from the ground up. Stay for the madcap bridge and final choruses— it's some of the more transcendent stuff this group has ever achieved.
Buy: Nine Types of Light

"Capital Gains" - TW Walsh
You may know Walsh from his days as one of the core members of the now-defunt Pedro the Lion. On this track from his first true solo album in some years, Walsh delivers a perfectly mixed, minimalistic tune that floats effortlessly into your ears. His restrained chords lay delicately atop a walking bass line that hits in all the right places, namely the cathartic refrains. It all begs the question: when did songs about taxes become so beautiful?
Buy: Songs of Pain and Leisure

"Hours" - Tycho
Dripping with an atmospheric quality that transcends its outwardly trance-like appearances, this track from Tycho's latest is a synth-lover's wet dream. The steadily building arrangement voices itself electronically, as glittering, modulated sequences lay themselves out over tightly-crafted rhythms. If Ridley Scott is really going to make that Blade Runner sequel, this guy deserves a crack at the soundtrack.
Buy: Dive

"The Floor" - Ty Segall
No longer content limiting himself to two-minute fuzzed-out bursts of garage rock, Segall's latest found him stretching his legs a bit. Built around an exuberant, winding guitar lick that intermittently sinks into a sludgy chorus, it's an exciting and patently catchy bout of songwriting from a guy who seems pleased with his newfound ability to let the tape roll.
Buy: Goodbye Bread

"It's Him!" - White Denim
In less self-assured hands, the twisting structure of this song would inevitably be stretched well past the three-minute mark. But these Austin, TX rockers know exactly when to reign things in, easily making them the most succinct jam band around. Its down-home stomp contrasting with dashes of psychedelia, you won't be able to forget this groove.
Buy: D

"Art of Almost" - Wilco
No stranger than the group's past flirtations with krautrock and ten-minute drones, the opening track of Wilco's latest album stands as their most vital and exciting recording in quite some time. With Jorgensen's synths forming a persistent bed for Tweedy's beautifully nonsensical lyrics and a positively wailing solo from Cline, it's just about everything you didn't know you could ask for from a new Wilco tune.
Buy: The Whole Love

"Romance" - Wild Flag
If there was only one perfect pop rock song crafted this year, it might be this one. Carrie Brownstein calls out across the galloping arrangement, leading her bandmates to a divine chorus bristling with fretboard-derived energy. If you were lucky enough to see it performed live within the past year, you know that it's a song that doesn't lose any of its magic onstage.
Buy: Wild Flag

"Pushing Onlys" - Woods
Armed with warbling guitars and an unmistakable falsetto, Jeremy Earl and his band of Brooklynites turn in yet another slice of lo-fi folk rock goodness with this track. Flirting with psychedelia, it's a song that manages to evoke a not-quite-otherworldly sense of pastoral bliss. Whether its warmth derives from homemade charm or the simplistic arrangement, it's positively radiating with good vibes.
Buy: Sun and Shade

"Georgia" - Yuck
Somehow managing to mash together the best parts of '90s indie rock, Yuck are imitators who embrace familiarity. On this track, it shows through as some sort of strange amalgamation of Superchunk, Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth with Daniel Blumberg and Mariko Doi singing in unison over some sludgy chords. Whether it brings back memories or creates new ones, it's the rare type of nostalgia that satisfies instead of ultimately disappointing.
Buy: Yuck

Still to come, my favorite albums of 2011— guaranteed to be revealed before the ball drops.

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2011 (Part I)

2011-12-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

Every year when I sit down to write these lists, I find myself enjoying the process of compiling my favorite tracks more and more. Originally I started making this list as a sort of consolation for my inability to include each and every record I enjoyed on my favorite albums list. Now, I almost feel as if it's the more important and rewarding list—the outlet for my inner DJ, intent on sequencing hour after hour of exemplary music. These are the songs that serenaded a year of intense upheaval, as I left my home state for the bustling city. Each of them are something more that the sum of their chords, melodies and lyrics. They are the 40 songs that accompanied cross-country drives, late night train rides and walks through the neighborhood. In the year 2011, these are the tracks that meant the most to me.

"Another Sky" - Akron/Family
With the psych-folk trio's latest release amounting to a hodge-podge of well-intentioned weirdness, the focused intensity of this track stood out immediately. A primal beat, awash in distortion, presided over by some soothingly reserved vocal work. It's not that it's any less strange than its surroundings, it's how it makes its peculiar parts into something wholly wonderful.
Buy: S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT

"Middle States" - The Appleseed Cast
Former emo-purveyors turned post-rock practitioners almost entirely give themselves over to the latter on their latest EP from Graveface Records. The record's title track finds the group drenched in atmosphere, as shimmering guitar lines coalesce against a prominent rhythm section. If this reemergence is a sign of things to come, the group's future sounds like something I'd like to hear.
Buy: Middle States

"Anything New" - Bibio
The stuttering, sample-driven bent of this instantly catchy track from the British producer sounds as if it was tailor made for an Adult Swim bump. There's a reason his music has been showing up in that venue— taken 15-30 seconds at a time, Bibio's calculated hooks loose none of their impact, coming into focus almost immediately. In its entirety, it's a breath of fresh air in the increasingly crowded and homogenized electronic music scene.
Buy: Mind Bokeh

"Drover" - Bill Callahan
How do you make a song about driving cattle compelling? Just put it in the able hands (and voice) of Bill Callahan. The former Smog frontman brings his signature sparse instrumentation to a song that's more western than country. "It takes a strong, strong, it breaks a strong, strong mind," he encapsulates in that rich, world-weary baritone.
Buy: Apocalypse

"Statue Garden" - Brown Recluse
If I had to narrow down a single outlet for my twee-tinged, late '60s psychedelia-dappled inclinations this year, it would be Brown Recluse's Evening Tapestry, specifically "Statue Garden." With its bouncing keys and squealing organs, the song's stereotypical approach yields surprisingly sophisticated results.
Buy: Evening Tapestry

"Huma Bird" - Buffalo Killers
The Gabbard brothers hit gold once again, mining a nostalgic vein of '70s rock that finds the Cincinnati trio channeling what could almost be mistaken for a harmonically-blessed lost cut from Neil Young and Crazy Horse. It's not new territory for the group, but their well-traveled chops elevate it high above lesser imitators before swooping down much like its legendary, winged namesake.
Buy: 3

"Super Duper Rescue Heads !" - Deerhoof
Awash in twinkling synths, the latest from the California art-rockers takes only seconds to expose its eccentric pop sensibility. Isolating the adorable lyrical delivery of Satomi Matsuzaki, before delving into sweeping choruses and a syncopated bridge, the song takes pleasure in delivering overt weirdness in a shiny, vaguely familiar package.
Buy: Deerhoof vs. Evil

"Sugar Splash" - Delicate Steve
The almost unclassifiable nature of Steve Marion's instrumental studio project leads to analogies such as this: it's like music made by Sunday morning cartoon characters who have eaten entirely too much Captain Crunch. However you describe it, you'll find that constantly intersecting melodies and rhythms provide enough ear candy to ruin your dinner.
Buy: Wondervisions

"Chinatown" - Destroyer
It was the year of the '80s throwback, and Destroyer's Kaputt arguably led the charge, coming out of the gate with soft rock production and gratuitous sax solos. "Chinatown" transcends its somewhat ironic trappings thanks to Dan Bejar's usual off-kilter delivery as well as particularly memorable vocal turn from Sibel Thrasher.
Buy: Kaputt

"All the Sands in All the Seas" - DeVotchKa
Without an overly sappy Canadian indie rock group to write a song fit to grace the most momentous movie trailers of the season, the Denver natives in DeVotchKa ably took up the reins. With its plaintive refrains and unrelenting arrangement, you're almost forced to agree when vocalist Nick Urata yelps "Here's the part that always gets me."
Buy: 100 Lovers

"Black Night" - The Dodos
Armed with a machine gun snare, the Dodos welcome us back with this unwavering, percussive lament. Not stopping for anything, the brisk track loads on the group's unmistakable howls as Long and Kroeber quickly ease into their patent dynamic. On a record dotted with appearances by songstress Neko Case, it's high praise to call this one my favorite of the bunch.
Buy: No Color

"Supertribe" - Errors
Call it post-electro if you must, but just know that Errors' tightly wound instrumentals will probably make you want to dance. Its frolicking chiptune synths meshing with subdued guitars, this track from Rock Action Records signees lands somewhere between the math and post-rock practiced by the group's labelmates. Its general indescribability makes it all the more exciting.
Buy: Come Down With Me

"The Lion's Roar" - First Aid Kit
On their first single from a forthcoming full-lengthed produced by Bright Eyes' Mike Mogis, its easy to label the Swedish duo as a couple of Fleet Foxes devotees. The cascading melodies, the starkly honest lyrics and stirring instrumentation— it's all there. While it wears its influences proudly, it's a striking track that suggests a deeper understanding—one which makes these womens' song wholly their own.
Buy: The Lion's Roar [single]

"Where's My Tribe" - Grandkids
Tucked away on an EP that was quietly released digitally is this hauntingly beautiful little tune, intoned by the equally wonderful voice of Vivian McConnell. Anchored by intricate rhythms and plucked melodies, it doesn't really matter that the titular tribe is so elusive, especially when the search proves to be this stirring.
Buy: Sister Walls

"Roger Miller" - LAKE
It takes a certain kind of band to pen a song dedicated to a mid-'60s novelty songwriter, but LAKE is just that sort of group. Building off of the simple yet rich arrangements of 2009's Let's Build a Roof, the requisite combination of rhodes and horns are present on this track. "If I were a song, then I would be his song,"croons Ashley Eriksson, replete with a sense of conviction that is wholly believable.
Buy: Giving and Receiving

"Cold Feet" - Liam Finn
If you've ever seen Liam Finn in concert you'll know that he splits his time between being an unassuming New Zealander and a complete mad man with a propensity for drum solos. On record, that dichotomy isn't well represented, but this particularly earnest track from FOMO hints at reality with sudden switches from languishing verses to impassioned refrains. If you haven't heard it, you should let your Fear Of Missing Out get the better of you.
Buy: FOMO

"Try To Sleep" - Low
I'm not sure if Alan Sparhawk set out to write the world's coolest lullaby, but it's a feat a achieved with this track from the slowcore group's latest effort. With chugging chords overlaid by tinkling glockenspiel and the warm harmonies of bandmate Mimi Parker, you'll likely be too enraptured by it to actually doze off.
Buy: C'mon

"I Follow Rivers" - Lykke Li
Picture a smokey room, filled with pale, spindly Swedish women in baggy black H&M clothing. It's the imagery that comes to mind the second this song gets started, and no shock if you've seen Lykke Li live. This moody pop number wades through murky pools of organ before exploding into its cathartic chorus, helped along by gossamer strains of guitar. Now if I could only learn how to pronounce her name...
Buy: Wounded Rhymes

"House of Circles" - Mr. Gnome
The sprawling centerpiece of the Cleveland duo's latest record find them touching on just about every permutation of their sound in the span of just over six minutes. From the breathily delivered persistence of it's opening moments to the shoegaze blare of its bridge. Its heavy-handed conclusion is fitting, bringing Nicole Barille considerable vocal prowess to the forefront just before coming full circle.
Buy: Madness in Miniature

"San Pedro" - Mogwai
Driving forward with reckless abandon, "San Pedro" solidifies itself as the closest thing to a pop rock statement to come from the stalwart post-rockers of Mogwai in quite some time. With riff crashing upon riff, the Scottish distortion warriors make a convincing case for just how hardcore they really are.
Buy: Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

Listen to the majority of these tracks on my dedicated Spotify playlist, and check back soon for Part II.

Live Review: Mr. Gnome at Empty Bottle

2011-11-16T11:02:00.000-06:00

As an Ohio native, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that Thursday night's show at the Empty Bottle was my first time seeing Cleveland's very own Mr. Gnome. That being said, I couldn't have picked a better time to cross paths with the band, currently on tour in support of their wonderful new release Madness in Miniature. Guitarist and vocalist Nicole Barille and drummer Sam Meister ably combined forces onstage, proving the group capable of producing a sound far more formidable than their numbers might initially suggest.

From the swirling, shoegazing chug of "Ate the Sun," to the staccato stomp of "Bit of Tongue," all of the tricks present on the duo's recorded work made a passing appearance in the live setting. The pair's rendition of Madness in Miniature highlight "House of Circles" solidified it as one of my favorite tracks of the year, taking the constantly shifting structure of the studio version and stretching it into a naturally evolving barrage of riffs, anchored by Meister's relentlessly tight rhythms and Barille's breathy yet fierce intonations. The jaunty "Cleveland Polka" rounded out the evening's peaks, displaying a sensibility that could only be the product of the twosome's unique musical stylings. It may have taken a while for us to meet, Mr. Gnome, but it was a pleasure making your acquaintance

On the Radar: Raleigh Moncrief "Watered Lawn"

2011-11-11T14:14:00.001-06:00

Perhaps you haven't heard of Raleigh Moncrief before, but you've almost certainly heard some of his work. Moncrief was a producer on the Dirty Projector's Bitte Orca and is a frequent collaborator of Hella's Zach Hill, contributing to his sprawling inaugural solo release Astrological Straights. More recently, he's been on the road with Marnie Stern as her touring guitarist. His recent full-length debut for Anticon solidifies Moncrief as an artist in his own right, allbeit not in the genre you might expect. Watered Lawn is a beat-driven dose of emotionally charged atmosphere, tenderly blurring the line between electronic indulgence and carefully constructed acoustic experimentation.

Not one to hide himself behind instrumental walls, Moncrief anchors his compositions with his plaintive voice, oftentimes evoking the work of Anticon labelmate and fellow Californian beat-musician Baths. In fact, the sparse synths and clicking rhythms of "I Just Saw" and "Waiting For My Brothers Here" could almost be mistaken for Baths tunes, acknowledged by Will Weisenfeld's recent cover of the former track. Elsewhere, the glitchy cadence and modulated vocals present on "In This Grass" bring to mind the audio collages of Mount Kimbie. However, it's a song entitled "Lament For Morning"that solidifies itself as one of the record's most memorable moments, employing a cascading vocal sample that provides the measured counterpart to a 16-bit melody. Watered Lawn is a heady mix of aural explorations amid beat-scene trappings, all with a tangible sense of honesty that grounds it firmly in reality.

I Just Saw by raleigh moncrief
Cast Out For Days by raleigh moncrief

Raleigh Moncrief on Spotify — Soundcloud — Tumblr

In Photos: Bleached at Crown Tap Room

2011-10-28T10:09:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night at Logan Square's Crown Tap Room found sisters Jessica and Jennifer Calvin working their way through a set of succinct garage rockers with their new group Bleached. Hot off of a week in New York City at the CMJ Music Marathon, the band made a stop in Chicago on the way back to their stomping grounds in LA, where they'll be completing their as-of-yet untitled full length debut.

Favorite New Finds of CMJ 2011

2011-10-26T15:40:00.002-05:00

Another journey to the various venues and haunts of New York City is complete and after a few day's worth of much needed rest, it's time to reminisce. Going into this year's CMJ, my goal was to come away from the event having seen at least one band that I absolutely dug but had previously never heard of. By the end of the festival, there were three such groups that stuck out in my mind— bands whose recordings I immediately sought out in the drowsy days following all the madness. I've compiled them here, along with links to their recorded output for your listening pleasure.

After a day full of delayed flights and plenty of time spent sitting on tarmacs, I stumbled into Paste's Afternoon Delight Party at the Living Room just in time to catch the majority of a set from Portland's Radiation City. Sporting dual keyboard players and an exceedingly tight rhythm section, the quintet delicately made their way through a selection of songs from their full-length debut, The Hands That Take You. On the record, the group's subdued, dreamy melodies float atop electronic flourishes, while in concert, the addition of a second female vocalist brings lead singer Elisabeth Ellison's lyrics to the forefront, creating a sound not wholly unlike a twee-inclined iteration of Stereolab. The precise, staccato delivery of "Babies" made it the standout track of their set, reaffirmed just days later when I caught the group a second time at Distiller's showcase at the Knitting Factory. The set's comparatively booming sound showed yet another side of the band, demonstrating a versatility that's impressive to hear coming from such a young act.

Radiation City on Muxtape — Daytrotter — Spotify

Stepping into the Fader Fort on Friday afternoon, I was immediately greeted by the strummy, garage rock sounds of Bleached. Fronted by sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin, formerly of LA art-punk group Mika Miko, the girls' newest project focuses on straight-ahead compositions not unlike those of contemporaries the Dum Dum Girls. The pair's genetically harmonized vocals blended pleasingly over vaguely familiar riffs, calling to mind some sort of effeminate lovechild of the Stones and the Ramones. With just a small handful of 7-inch releases to their name, the set was a pointedly short run through their catalog. If I had to choose one track to suggest, it'd be "You Take Time" the bouncing B-side to their Carter single on ArtFag Records. These are future jukebox gems— treat them as such.

Bleached on Tumblr — Spotify

A late start at Consequence of Sound's party in the back room of Pianos on Friday night was the impetus behind my discovery of North Highlands. The five-piece Brooklyn-based band has been milling about the New York scene for some time now, but have recently released their debut record, entitled Wild One. The tightly packed showcase proved to be the perfect venue for the group's effervescent sound, inciting plenty of dancing to the high-hat heavy grooves of tracks like "Steady Steady." Vocalist Brenda Malvini's calmly delivered intonations crested over taut guitar riffs and the occasional violin phrase. As their California-derived name might imply, the east coast-dwelling group's music suggests a melancholic duality— contrasting their sunnier inclinations with the hurried pace of city life. Whether you're pining for palm trees or craving the urban sprawl, there's something about North Highlands that finds them equally comfortable in either setting (and everywhere in-between.)

North Highlands on Bandcamp — Big Ugly Yellow Couch

Watch Me Jumpstart

2011-09-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

Fear not gentle readers. If you've paid any attention to my Twitter feed or scanned the bylines on Time Out Chicago, you'll know that I am alive and well. Tapes on the Floor isn't dead, it just went on an extended (and, perhaps, well deserved?) hiatus. If the classic lineup of Guided By Voices can get back together and make a new record, you can watch me jumpstart this dusty corner of the internet.

So what sort of things have I been up to these past few months? A fair question. Upon arriving in Chicago, I immediately jumped into the exciting world of freelance writing, covering concerts for the good folks over at Time Out. I caught a wonderful outdoor performance from the reunited original lineup of the Jayhawks, narrowly avoided being swallowed by a mosh pit during a post-Lollapalooza set from the Black Lips and celebrated Pearl Jam's 20th anniversary with over 37,000 fans. I went to my first show at the Chicago Theatre, catching one of the first shows on Bon Iver's national tour behind their latest, self-titled record, backed by tremendous players such as Mike Lewis and Colin Stetson. I was in the right place at the right time, managing to document a surprise set from Jeff Tweedy that found the frontman channeling his inner pop-star while performing the songs of the Black Eyed Peas (coincidentally, I helped record an in-office session with the Autumn Defense on the very same day.) I took a trip back to Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, walking the floor with all manner of costumed heros and bearing witness to an amazing Q&A with the formidable Bruce Campbell. I crossed paths with several bands from my home state, namely Southeast Engine and Buffalo Killers. More recently, I watched Dosh open up for Black Moth Super Rainbow at the Metro, witnessed the second coming of Archers of Loaf at A.V. Fest and saw Dan Deacon perform in a circus tent.

Yes, it's been a whirlwind of a summer, and the excitement shows no sign of stopping. This weekend, I'm headed down to Champaign-Urbana, IL to cover several shows at the Pygmalion Music Festival. Friends of the blog Grandkids are opening for the Dodos on Friday night, and the locally-based Polyvinyl Records will be celebrating their 15th anniversary on Saturday with sets from the likes of Deerhoof, Braid, Japandroids, Asobi Seksu, Joan of Arc and many, many more. Later this fall, I'm especially looking forward to seeing Calexico, Megafaun, Ty Segall, the Besnard Lakes, Dum Dum Girls, Black Angels and Deer Tick. In December, I'm hoping I'll be able to snag tickets to the National at the Aragon Ballroom and, of course, Wilco's return to Chicago at the beautiful Civic Opera House. There's no shortage of great live music in this town, and I'm extremely lucky to have such unfettered access to it all.

Although I spend most of my days sitting in coffee shops pounding away on my laptop, I'm going to make a concentrated effort to do some more frequent posting in this venue. Next week, I'll be sharing my review of Wilco's The Whole Love, and after a month with these songs, I think it will be an extremely accurate depiction of the place I feel it holds in their illustrious catalog. In October, I'll be heading back to CMJ in New York City and hope to provide another blow-by-blow report of all the details I can remember from what is likely to be a nearly sleepless four days of non-stop music. Later this winter, I'm hoping to do a pictorial piece on Pieholden Suite, the former studio of the late Jay Bennett which recently moved back to Chicago and is playing host to the recording of new material from the likes of Santah and Grandkids. I had the chance to visit the new location earlier this summer, played one of Jay's old pianos and basked in the histories contained within the studio's nondescript walls. And of course, no year can go by without the obligatory retrospective, which will find me spouting off my favorite albums and tracks of 2011. I recently had a preliminary conversation about said lists during a car ride with my good friend Brian Wiebe and was quickly reminded of all the great releases that this past year has seen.

Additionally, I've recently started a Tumblr bearing the name of my solo musical project, Longrifle, which will feature my self-recorded compositions as well as assorted visual and audio artifacts from around the internet. If that's not enough to make you sick of me, you've got much larger problems.

Live Review: Pitchfork Music Festival 2011

2011-07-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

For the second occasion in about a month's time, I got to do something that doesn't happen very often these days. Just as was the case at Solid Sound in June, I got to attend the Pitchfork Music Festival with no other agenda than to enjoy myself. And despite some high temperatures, beating sun and generally sweaty conditions, I did just that. It was actually my favorite Pitchfork Festival since the 2009 edition, thanks to some wonderful booking choices and crowds that seemed slightly more manageable than last year's wall-to-wall swarm. Force of habit meant I couldn't see live music without taking a few notes here and there, so I present you with with my abridged highlights of the weekend in Union Park.

Friday started promisingly with a wonderful set from tUnE-yArDs, an act that I've been trying to catch live since seeing some video's of Merrill Garbus' performances at this year's SXSW. Prior to the show, face paint circulated throughout the crowd as Garbus soundchecked and then launched into a set that was heavy on cuts from her breakout release w h o k i l l. I was immediately impressed by how much of the sound in purely Garbus, deftly switching between a duo of looping pedals that allowed her to simultaneously layer vocals and drums. The mid-set performance of "Bizness" was the undisputed pinnacle, as two saxophonists were let loose over Garbus' looped-backing track. Despite a set that seemed all too short, tUnE-yArDs delivered and made me look forward to seeing them in a proper venue.

Guided By Voices late afternoon set was a second helping of the reunited rock legends that I had the pleasure of seeing in Newport, KY this past October. The band brought Neko Case to the stage to handle backing vocals on opening song "Echoes Myron," but unfortunately she was a barely audible presence. Robert Pollard and company made it through 19 songs in their 40 minute set, providing rapid fire bursts of pop rock bliss. The set was heavy on cuts from Alien Lanes and Bee Thousand, but that was to be expected from the self-termed'classic lineup.' Pollard was full of energy as usual, reveling in his frontman duties with plenty of mic twirling, air-kicking and Cuervo swigging. It was a fond farewell to a group I never thought I'd get the chance to see live, let alone twice.

I've never been a huge devotee of Animal Collective, and their closing set on Friday night didn't do much to sway my opinion of them. Backed by a huge pink (skull?) backdrop and surrounded by crystalline fixtures that evoked a Superman movie set, the quartet wound their way through a set that leaned heavily on what I was told was new material. I've appreciated bits and pieces of the group's past discography, but in the live setting their new tracks sounded like a band struggling to be weird for the sake of being weird. Samples were garbled beyond recognition and vocals were put through a wavering filter that made them sound as if they were underwater. Performances of "Did You See the Words" and "Brothersport" were enjoyable enough (and the encore of "Summertime Clothes" was almost obligatory) but I could help but feel like I watched a practice session instead of a concert.

Saturday morning began with the beautiful, folky sounds of Woods who played from their latest record Sun and Shade, the former of which there was a great deal of at the festival, which inevitably sent me searching for the latter. Members of former Woodsist-signees Real Estate sat in on a couple of songs, begging the question as to why they weren't invited back to the fest for a second year in a row (you know, like Kurt Vile?) The gently intertwining riffs of latest single "Pushing Onlys" were a highlight, as was "Suffering Season," one of my favorite tracks from their 2010 release At Echo Lake.

In between drinking bottle after bottle of water, I managed to catch the majority of Destroyer's set out in the main field. Dan Bejar's outfit layered on the '80s influence, delivering a set that basked in the tone set by their recent LP Kaputt. Bejar's off-kilter delivery formed an oddly appropriate union with the soft-rock saxophones and glittering synths present on "Chinatown" and title-track "Kaputt." After a brief respite from the heat, I found myself looking on as DJ Shadow went behind his digital turntables on the same stage. Well, the majority of the set was actually spent staring at a giant ball that held the DJ inside it. Apparently there were projections running across its surface, but the late afternoon sun made them impossible to make out. I didn't recognize much of the set save for the familiar strains of "Building Steam" and "Organ Donor," but it was kind of cool to catch a few fleeting glimpses of their originator.

Saturday ended with a hotly (literally) anticipated set from folk rock savants Fleet Foxes, drawing the largest crowd of the weekend thus far. I was prepared to be impressed by the vocal harmonies and instrumentation, but was bit taken aback by just how tight this group was onstage. The workmanship that showed through on Helplessness Blues translated to the stage, resulting in spot-on renditions of tracks such as "Grown Ocean" and "Bedouin Dress." Older cuts were equally impressive, specifically Robin Pecknold's heartfelt delivery of "He Doesn't Know Why." The only glaring omission from the night's setlist was "Montezuma," arguably one of the strongest tracks on their latest LP.

Yuck kicked off my Sunday with an ample helping of their '90s throwback sound, sporting one of the best mixes on the stage all weekend long—not a year goes by that I don't lament sub-par festival mixing. Next on the docket was a set from Philadelphia shredder Kurt Vile, who blazed through beefed up tracks from his acclaimed Smoke Ring For My Halo LP. Vile was so intent on splitting eardrums that we eschewed a bassist in favor of a three guitar assault— a wise choice, if you ask me. By contrast Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti disappointed because of some very unwise choices— namely the use of microphone head set by Pink, which resulted in many inaudible moments and generally unpleasant distortion.

Superchunk was next— an appropriate second meeting with the group considering that I saw them for my first time here in Chicago last summer. Mac McCaughan and company blew through a career-spanning set, punctuated with a rendition of their debut single, "Slack Motherfucker." Up next was Deerhunter who delivered my absolute favorite performance of the weekend, awash in reverb and delay. Bradford Cox wasn't wearing a dress, but the shoegazey takes on tracks "Hazel Street" and "Nothing Ever Happened" provided all the requisite wonderful weirdness. TV on the Radio closed out the festival, but due to a prior engagement, I didn't stick around for much more than the hazy melancholy of "Will Do."

Say what you will about the brand behind the festival, but Pitchfork has consistently delivered wildly diverse lineups and this year was no exception. For those willing to brave the heat, it was an exemplary sampling of some of the more exciting music from the present and past. I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for this festival. I'll see you next year.

Live Review: Solid Sound Festival 2011

2011-07-03T19:03:00.002-05:00

It's been wonderful watching Wilco break away from the music industry over the past few years, taking with them their seemingly ever-growing entourage of devoted followers. The group has come to a point in their career where the confines of record label are no longer a necessity, where the band no longer takes their music to people but rather brings their fans to them. Nowhere was this more evident than at the second iteration of the Solid Sound Festival--nestled in the somewhat remote town of North Adams, MA on the campus of the world class Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). The facilities were transformed in a Wilco-mecca of sorts, finding concert posters and homemade instruments nestled next to work from luminaries such as Sol LeWitt and Katharina Grosse. And then there was the music——handpicked by the folks in Wilco and encompassing everything from garage rock to brass bands. But why stop there? With a comedy cabaret curated by John Hodgman, a falconry demonstration, a pop up record store and a menagerie of local vendors, there was no excuse not to fill every moment of the weekend. Not to mention two headlining sets from everyone's favorite convention-defying rock band. The perfect weekend for this diehard Wilco fanatic? Yup.

I arrived early on Friday, hoping to scope out the museum before the music started in the afternoon. Walking through MASS MoCA, it quickly became apparent why Wilco has made this their home away from home. The sprawling complex of old factory buildings turned art galleries tread the same lines as the band itself--carving surprising new expressions out of the staid and familiar. Sol LeWitt's wall drawings were a sight to behold, each a bold, sometimes colorful statement that impressed both with their intricacy and simplicity. The gargantuan, otherworldly works of Katharina Grosse transformed a cavernous hall into a landscape full of vivid color. Exhibits exclusive to the festival were also present, ranging from a retrospective of Wilco concert posters to a collection of Glenn Kotche's homemade percussion implements. One of the more unique attractions has an installation entitled Fly on the Wall that consisted of looped field recordings of Wilco's sessions for their latest LP. While the snippets were brief, they painted a picture of group in the throes of experimentation and hinted at the sonic diversity of Wilco's upcoming release.

Once the grounds opened, I hightailed it to the pop-up record store, run by Eulid Records of St. Louis—one-time employer of Jeff Tweedy. The reason for my visit was to snatch up a copy of Wilco's latest single, released at the at the festival on Solid Sound exclusive clear vinyl. With single in hand, I made my way over to one of the courtyard stages for a set from Purling Hiss. The Philadelphia trio was the only sidestage act of the day, turning in a set of chunky, riff-filled garage psych that attracted the likes of Jeff Tweedy. During the afternoon, I also managed to make it over to the theatre where I caught a screening of the Beastie Boys' long-form video "Fight For Your Rights Revisited," as well as a few animated shorts.

Down in Joe's Field—the festival's main venue—the night's entertainment started in earnest as a group called Pajama Club featuring Wilco-collaborator Neil Finn and his wife Sharon took the stage. And while were on the subject of the stage, I can't let this review go by without mentioning how beautiful it looked on Friday night. The entirety of it was draped with strings of ghost-like bits of white cloth, which went on to play a somewhat larger roll later in the evening. Pajama Club's synth-heavy pop rock didn't stray far from the Neil Finn-penned tracks on 7 World Collide's The Sun Came Out. The group even dug into a few cuts from the record, most notably "Little By Little" which found Glenn Kotche sitting in on drums. While the songs were predominantly sunny and upbeat, the overall mood was dampened slightly by the weekend's first outbreak of rain.

With rain flooding down and ponchos blanketing the assembled crowd, Wilco's first set of the festival was delayed momentarily in order to give the weather a bit of time to pass. In the downtime, comedy curator and Massachusetts resident John Hodgman took the stage and addressed the crowd. Out of nowhere, Justin Long (in town for the Williamstown Theater Festival) also came out on stage and the two rekindled their Mac and PC rivalry while the heavens continued to pour down on the assembled crowd.

When the band finally did take the stage, they did so to the strains of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," before quickly launching into their latest single "I Might," a taut, irreverent pop rock tune that tends more towards the group's Summerteeth-era output than anything they've done in recent memory. Those hanging ghost-like clothes acted as a fragmented projection screen of sorts, with specific piece lighting up as videos were laid on top making for the most visually stunning Wilco performance I've ever witnessed. Later in the set, the title track of the band's upcoming release was unveiled—a jangling tune entitled "Whole Love" that finds Tweedy breaking out his falsetto while the rest of the group warmly surrounds his voice. It was my favorite of the new material which debuted at the festival, bringing forth memories of my reaction to the debut of "One Wing." The final premiere of the evening was a guitar-heavy track called "Born Alone" which took Pat Sansone away from his keyboard, giving Nels Cline ample opportunity to flesh out the song with all manner of six string flourishes. Back catalog surprises of the evening included "Hotel Arizona"—the final verse of which Tweedy could not remember—and "Shouldn't Be Ashamed," an A.M. tune that I've always wanted to hear live. After plowing through a raucous encore of "Red-Eyed and Blue" and "I Got You (At the End of the Century)," Neil Finn took to the stage again, remarked that he had written a similar song, and led the group in a rousing cover of Split Enz "I Got You."

Saturday was undeniably the most music-heavy day of the festival, with both sidestages packed full of bands to watch all afternoon long. My day started with a set from Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, who stuck almost exclusively to tracks from their Vetiver-backed release Bright Examples. I was really impressed by Sarah Lee's voice— obviously a far cry from that of her father and grandfather, but still possessing the same kind of warmth and honesty. Next on the docket was a set from San Francisco noisemakers Sic Alps. Upon reaching the stage, I had to do a double take before confirming that none other than Ty Segall was sitting behind the drum kit. With Mike Donovan on vocals and guitar, the duo blazed their way through a set of succinct garage pop tunes, intermittently being joined by Eric Bauer and his distortion box. I managed to catch a little bit of Liam Finn's set—enough to witness him play the wonderfully catchy "Cold Feet" from the newly released FOMO LP.

I made a trip back inside to check out the comedy stage, where a mustached John Hodgman started by (humorously) interviewing a lexicographer for the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I also witnessed a demonstration of artisanal pencil sharpening by Get Your War On author David Rees. However, the real draw for me was a short set from comedian Eugene Mirman, best known for playing the landlord on Flight of the Conchords. Mirman turned in a fairly standard set, railing against the stupidity of the Tea Party as well as the trials and tribulations of dealing with Time Warner Cable. A welcome and entertaining change of pace from the wall-to-wall music occurring outdoors, but before long I was walking to the next stage.

I braved a bit of rain to see some of the experimental soul music of Jamie Lidell. While I've never been a huge fan of his recorded output, the man is supremely comfortable onstage and that confidence shines through in his performance. At one point, Lidell was all by himself and built a looping, acapela backdrop which he improvised over. Pat Sansone—who played on Lidell's last record—was present for the majority of the set, playing tambourine and shakers. Next up on the stage was Thurston Moore, who brought a band that included a violinist and a harpist in order to play songs from his recent release, Demolished Thoughts. My favorite moments of the set were the group's renditions of "Illuminine" and "Benediction," each notably different that their studio counterparts, but infused with the same essence that makes Thurston's acoustic work so enjoyable.

Back on Joe's Field, the biggest storm of the weekend was breaking out, delaying Syl Johnson's open set. When the soul legend finally took the stage, he was decked out in a bright red suit and was trying his damnedest to mention his Numero boxset whenever he got the chance. On a weekend full of top-notch live acts, Johnson's backing band the Sweet Divines were one of the tightest units in attendance. The highlight of the set was a performance of "Different Strokes," the source of the horn sample on Wu-Tang Clan's "Shame On A Nigga." Johnson even took the liberty of inserting some of the Wu's lyrics along side his own. An entertaining performance to be sure, but ultimately just the lead-in to Wilco's second set of the weekend.

For their second headlining performance, the band opened with the B-side of their newly released 7-inch, a Nick Lowe cover entitled "I Love My Label," and a not-so-subtle nod to the newly formed dBpm Records. This was quickly followed with the live premiere of a new track called "Dawned On Me," a pounding three and a half minute track with a whistling solo and a twinkling refrain that's been stuck in my head all week. The final unveiling of the evening was my least favorite of the new songs performed, a synth-littered track called "Standing O" that find's Tweedy singing in a somewhat low, unusual register. The sole reprisals of the preceding evening were "Born Alone" and "I Might," (Tweedy quipped that his label told him he had to play his single again) with the remainder of the set once again delving into the back catalog. A rendition of "Company in My Back" was a welcome occurrence, as was "War on War," "Can't Stand It" and the Stirratt-fronted "It's Just That Simple." One of the more memorable moments of the evening was the 6,000-strong crowd providing the vocals for "Jesus Etc." with Tweedy joining in on the final verse. Guest spots included Liam Finn providing guitar on "You Never Know" and Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion appropriately showing up to sing "California Stars." Why the group decided to end with "Hoodoo Voodoo" is beyond me, ("Wilco (the song)" would have been far more appropriate) but the climactic guitar solo battle between Cline and Sansone made it all worth it. While not as consistent as Friday night's set, Saturday's performance was a crowd pleaser—a fitting showing of gratitude to the thousands of fans in attendance.

Sunday was side project day, with each member of the band showcasing their work outside of Wilco. I headed straight to the auditorium where frequent Glenn Kotche collaborator Darin Gray opened the day with 20 minutes of solo, prepared bass. Once Kotche got behind his gargantuan drum kit and launched into "Mobile," the assembled crowd could do nothing but marvel. I've seen Kotche solo a couple of times in the past, but this performance added some new wrinkles to his usual set with the addition of video projections to some of the tracks. The most impressive of these was the one that accompanied "Monkey Chant," with some parts of the video corresponding directly to Kotche's precise beats. Next up was a set from Mikael Jorgensen's synth-centric band Pronto— a three-keyboard attack with a drummer to boot. It was easily one of the more challenging sets of the weekend, but wrapped in the sterile sounds and vocoded vocals was the same sort of warmth and soul that lies at the heart of Jorgensen's work as Wilco's keyboardist.

I managed to hear a few songs from the Autumn Defense set, but I wanted to make sure I could secure a good spot for the Pillow Wand set later that day. Nels Cline and Thurston Moore did not disappoint, playing as a duo for the first time in 13 years. The two were constantly adjusting to one another, coaxing all manner of unconventional sounds out of their guitars. It was a solid hour of masterful musicians enjoying each other's presence through improvisation—a journey that was equally fulfilling for those willing to loose themselves in the duo's intricately crafted noise.

Levon Helm and His Rambling Band provided a fitting comedown from an at-times exhausting weekend. The group turned in their masterful Americana compositions, backed by a horn section and featuring Helm's daughter on vocals. Helm took a turn on the mic himself, but his raspy growl mostly served as a reminder of his recent battle with throat cancer. As I began making my way out of the venue, all six members of Wilco took the stage and sang "The Weight" with Levon and his band before ending this year's Solid Sound.

Wilco's festival in Massachusetts proved itself to be one of the more unique music experiences currently in existence, perfectly combining art, location and ambiance. It's a testament to the type of fans that Wilco attracts—people willing to drive halfway across the country to hang out with their favorite band at an art museum in a small town. If the band decides to hold the festival again next year, I'll try my hardest to be there with them.

Sweet Home

2011-06-21T09:43:00.001-05:00

By now you've likely heard the news, but I'll give you the official dish here anyways. In the last few weeks, I've graduated college and am now setting my sights on Chicago once again. I'm moving back to the city, this time indefinitely, starting on July 1st. It was a fairly simple choice. First of all, I really love the place—I had the time of my life there last summer and am looking forward to being there on a much more permanent basis. Secondly, I've been offered some work with a publication there covering shows and festivals much like I did last summer. That means I'll be at Pitchfork Music Festival once again this summer and likely Lollapalooza as well.

What does this mean for Tapes on the Floor? Fortunately for you, dear reader, not a whole lot. Throughout this blog's illustrious, almost six years of existence, coverage has always swayed between the Buckeye State and the Windy City. In the future, it's safe to say that you'll be seeing much more Chicago-oriented content, with the occasional Ohio-related post whenever I start feeling homesick. I'll be taking a couple of months to ease into things before I (hopefully) find some sort of steady job, and in that time I'm hoping to set the tone for the remainder of this year with some slightly more regular posting and all those other promises that people with personal blogs make.

More importantly, I'm heading to North Adams on Thursday for three straight days of Wilco overload at Solid Sound. If my brain doesn't explode, I'll see you in Chicago.

Wilco's "I Might" Cover Art is Doodle-icious

2011-06-08T02:12:00.002-05:00

While I'm still not sure what to expect from Wilco's latest studio recording, at least we now know what its packaging will look like. Tri State Indie snagged the cover art for dBpm Records' inaugural release of Wilco's new single "I Might," backed by a cover of Nick Lowe's "I Love My Label." The 7" will be first be made available to fans attending the Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, MA later this month. If you can't make it out to Massachusetts, you can expect the single to hit the shelves of your local record store on July 19. The folks over at CD Universe already have the record available for pre-order.

I'll definitely be snagging a copy of the 7" at Solid Sound and as soon as I can find my way to a turntable, I'll be posting my impressions of the new tracks.

Oh, and I usually don't make a big fuss over cover art, but this is Wilco—they're the exception.

UPDATE: The single is now available for pre-order from the Wilco Store, in regular (black) and blue varieties. Rough Trade has a silver version of the 7" available for pre-order. It's safe to say Solid Sound attendees will have access to some sort of exclusive color variant as well.

Live Review: Nelsonville Music Festival 2011

2011-05-25T18:32:00.008-05:00

With all the outpouring of adoration that has hit newsstands and blogs over the past week, it almost feels superfluous to give my spin on this year's Nelsonville Music Festival. For the second year running, I found myself involved in the organization and execution of this weekend of music, just a short drive away from my collegiate hometown of Athens, OH. As was the case last year, my duties throughout the weekend kept me away from a good deal of the music—I manned the festival's first press tent, providing a base of operations for all attending reporters and photographers. It goes without saying that this year's event was a larger beast than in years past—acts like the Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo and Neko Case bring with them an audience and press presence that previously would not have given the fest a second glance. In spite of that, Nelsonville managed to retain everything that has traditionally made it such a unique festival experience—namely, friendly people, an eclectic lineup and a welcoming, laid-back vibe.

Most of my Friday afternoon was spent hectically rushing around making last minute preparations. Thanks to my proximity to the back porch stage, I got to hear snippets of sets from locals Hex Net and Whale Zombie. The former sounded just as wonderfully raw and gritty as their sets at the Union and Casa usually do, while the latter benefited from the open air, filling it with their gargantuan instrumentals. Above all, it was great seeing bands that I see on an almost monthly basis playing for audiences who were more than likely experiencing their music for the very first time.

Fridays at the Nelsonville Music Festival usually ease attendees into the weekend—the typical crowd has been campers looking to get the weekend started as quickly as possible. That got thrown out the window this year, with country legend George Jones headlining the main stage on the event's first evening, bringing in an onslaught of devotees who quickly filled the field. His set evoked Loretta Lynn's—the previous year's headliner—marked by a backing band that acted as their own warm-up act and a featured performer who delivered beleaguered renditions of classics from bygone eras. It was nice to see Jones onstage, but ultimately he delivered a set (and accompanying merchandise) that only diehard fans could truly appreciate.

The late night entertainment split itself between the main and back porch stages, filled by Colombian electro-pop group Bomba Estéreo and west coast rockers the Growlers respectively. Buoyed by thumping arrangements and rapid-fire Spanish lyrics care of the flashily dressed Liliana Saumet, Bomba Estéreo turned the main stage into a dance party that was quickly doused (but certainly not extinguished) by one of the weekend's first bouts of rain. Meanwhile, the Growlers poured out their bluesy, Morrison-esque tunes against the beautiful, colorfully lit cabins and trees lining the back porch area. One torrential downpour later, the stage was set for a particularly soggy Saturday in Nelsonville.

Sunrise found the main stage running a few hours behind, owing to a delay in the Flaming Lips' travels that pushed back the onstage construction of their neon rainbow backdrop. In the meantime, I made a point of catching a few songs at She Bears' set on the back porch stage—it was keyboardist Caitlin McGlade's last show with the group and the grandiose outdoor setting was fitting for such a momentous occasion.

Shortly after She Bears finished I had my rockstar moment of the festival as I escorted a local journalist and photographer onto the Flaming Lips' tour bus for an interview with frontman Wayne Coyne. He had some wonderfully kind things to say about the festival and Ohio in general, some of which you can find in this article. Most of all, I was struck by Coyne's stark honesty and genuine enthusiasm for his line of work. He's an entertainer who just happens to be a wonderful musician—the born ringleader of this shimmering spectacle of a band.

The first act I got to see on the main stage was Cheyenne Marie Mize, best known for her work with Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Her set showcased more than just her vocal prowess, finding her behind the drumset as well as on guitar and keyboards as she and her band worked their way through tracks from her debut solo release Before Lately. As you can see, Wayne Coyne stationed himself at the side of the stage for the majority of her set, rightfully impressed by her striking voice and sophisticated arrangements. He certainly wasn't the only musical celebrity looking on—whilst escorting a group of photographers into the pit during the set, I turned around to find none other than Sean Lennon standing just behind me. It's safe to say that Cheyenne has her fair share of admirers.

As Saturday's first major bout of rain set in, Athens' own Southeast Engine took the main stage to a crowd that seemed unfazed by the pelting moisture. The set wound through key track's from the group's latest, Canary before delving into their back catalog. The highlight for me was a particularly full sounding version of "Holy Ghost," a track with an organ riff that still sends shivers down my spine. Despite the weather, it was a wonderful hometown (or close to it) showing from a group who is quickly gathering national acclaim.

A frenzy of excitement swept over the crowd as Sean Lennon and the striking Charlotte Kemp Muhl took to the stage in preparation for their performance as the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger. Adorned in a variety of eccentric hats and sporting a 19-year-old drummer, the group launched into a surprisingly short group of songs filled with vocal harmonies familiar to any fan of Lennon's father. While the band's latest record was a subdued, predominantly acoustic affair, their live show was a near constant stream of swirling synths, yowling guitar and heady beats. Just four songs in, GoaSTT left the stage, citing a lack of rehearsed material to play.

The next two bands to take the main stage were collectives of sorts—certainly two of the larger groups the festival played host to over the course of the weekend. The first was Lost in the Trees, a self-termed folk orchestra from North Carolina who dabbles in slightly more subdued (though no less epic) versions of the sort of chamber pop arrangements that Arcade Fire is known for. Frontman Ari Picker just seemed happy to be in front of a crowd, as evidenced by his beaming smile throughout the set. The second group was a 31-piece marching band by the name of Mucca Pazza. Hailing from the Chicago, the band brings everything from a drumline to cheerleaders and launches into some of the most demented (and undeniably cool) marching numbers you've ever heard. They were a crowd favorite, if only because they blew everyone away with their sheer numbers.

As the evening breeze blew in, so too did the sounds of Yo La Tengo. Their set was heavy on their noisier, decidedly less-poppy material, including sprawling tracks such as "More Stars Than There Are in Heaven." Georgia, James and especially Ira seemed to be in very good spirits all throughout the set, making several quips about their experience in Athens, including allusions to Ohio University's student elections. Casual fans likely got what they came for in the form of renditions of "Sugarcube" (dedicated to the Flaming Lips) and "Mr. Tough." If you (like myself) were hoping for guitar freakouts and general weirdness, you didn't leave disappointed either.

The Flaming Lips did not skimp when it came to their Nelsonville Music Festival performance—every traditional element of the group's stagecraft was present, from the side mounted confetti cannons to the Wizard of Oz-themed, costumed onstage dancers. It was just as much of a production as the previous three times I've caught the Lips live, with enough deviation from past sets to make it just as exciting as the first time. Wayne Coyne surfed over the crowd in his space bubble, the group entered through their immense LED screen and balloons pelted onto the audience all throughout "Worm Mountain." In terms of new material, the band played a track from their Neon Indian collaboration entitled "Is David Bowie Dying???" but mostly stuck to the familiar throughout the evening. That included favorites such as "She Don't Use Jelly," "Yoshimi Battles the Pick Robots, Pt. I," and "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song." Coyne had nothing but kind things to say about the festival in general, referring to it as a giant party in the woods at which the Flaming Lips were (contrary to their usual role) not the weirdest act in attendance. Despite some bouts of rain towards this end of the set, the band managed to make it through a two song encore of "Race For the Prize" and "Do You Realize??" before wrapping it up for the night and sending the remaining, soaking crowd on their merry way.

I started my groggy Sunday morning watching part of Samantha Crain's set on the back porch stage, before being whisked away by other responsibilities. I made it back to introduce Y La Bamba, a wonderful folk rock group from Portland with some amazing vocal harmonies. They commanded a pretty sizable crowd for a band playing early on Sunday at the festival, but they deserved every set of eyes and ears in attendance. Next up on the back porch was Ned Oldham and Old Calf, who delivered some wonderfully solemn numbers from their new release via No Quarter Records entitled Borrow a Horse. It should be mentioned that I found it hard to believe that Ned is related to Will Oldham, until he opened his mouth and started singing.

The main stage was closed out with a double headliner of sorts, starting with the Queen of Rockabilly, Ms. Wanda Jackson. The diminutive 73-year-old singer sauntered onto the stage and launched into a set that mined her extensive back catalog. Unlike many performers her age, the years have been fairly kind of Jackson's voice, allowing her to yowl her way through all the standards. She was as jovial as could be, talking about her relationship with Elvis and making mention of recent collaborator Jack White. Despite a backing band that seemed dead set on sapping the life out of many of their arrangements, Jackson's set was as high energy as you could ask for and seemed to a be hit with those in attendance.

Last on the main stage was the the veritable siren of folk rock, Neko Case—presiding over those brave enough to slog through the mud with her signature shock of unkempt red hair. Accompanied by singer Kelly Hogan, Case's set was devoid of any real surprises, sticking closely to material from her past two solo releases. It was a joy to witness her belting out the refrain to "People Gotta Lot of Nerve," and I had my fair share of chills when she hit the notes on "This Tornado Loves You." In all honesty, I think I enjoy her more when she's onstage with all of her cohorts in the New Pornographers, but seeing her solo reaffirmed just how powerful those pipes of her's truly are.

So, we had a little (OK, a lot of) rain and a good amount of resulting mud. The thing is, I don't think there were many people in attendance who had their experience significantly sullied by either of these factors. The Nelsonville Music Festival has established itself as an event where wonderful people come together and share in a mutual musical experience, rain or shine. Like I said, I've been reading so many positive things about this year's event that it seems silly for me to heap on any further praise. It was an honor to be involved once again, and I'll definitely be back in some capacity the years to come. Let's just hope for a little more of that shine next time around.

We're Out in Nelsonville

2011-05-13T13:56:00.002-05:00

Tapes on the Floor is off to the Nelsonville Music Festival for a weekend of music from the likes of the Flaming Lips, Yo La Yengo, Neko Case, the Growlers and many, many more. For live updates from the fest, check us out on Twitter. A full wrap-up will hit the blog sometime next week—hope to see you there!

Interview: White Mystery

2011-04-27T09:30:00.003-05:00

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of seeing Chicago power-duo White Mystery in my adopted hometown of Athens, OH. The band was in town for the 16th annual Blackoutfest—a yearly gathering of like-minded garage rock groups that included the likes of Times New Viking, Fergus & Geronimo, Buffalo Killers and many, many more. Alex and Francis White were in town on Thursday night and proved to be the undeniable highlight of the evening, gracing the Union's stage with a ferocious, two-pronged musical assault that drew heavily from their newly released sophomore effort Blood & Venom. There was slam dancing, there was crowd surfing, there were good times shared by all. To put things in perspective: I've seen this band three times (in three different states!) in the span of the past month, and I still get this goofy grin on my face when I'm the same room as this pair. The energy these two create is addictive, and it's safe to say that I'm hooked.

Before they took the stage in Athens, I sat down with Alex and Francis White to talk about their latest record, how to write a song about your band and the influence of Black Sabbath

Tapes: Why don't we start at the beginning—how did you two start making music together?

Alex: Well, Francis and I are brother and sister, born and raised in Chicago and have been playing music for years. This year White Mystery is putting out its second album, so it's been a lifelong process and it's very cool.

Tapes: Well, I know you've both been in several other bands—specifically you Alex, I used to see you play with Miss Alex White and the Red Orchestra. Is there a different dynamic when you're in a band with your sibling?

Alex: It's very enjoyable to play with family and involve that into the band! It's also a common question, you know—"How do you guys get along?"—because White Mystery tours a lot, and puts out its own records, Francis and I are a partnership. So compared to the Hot Machines, which I played guitar in, Miss Alex White and the Red Orchestra and lots of different projects, it's a 50/50 partnership in White Mystery.

Francis: It's unlike anything else—I can't really compare my relationship with my sister to anything else out there.

Tapes: As you said, you're putting out your second record this year, Blood & Venom. Your self-titled debut came out last year—four months into 2011, you've already got this new one on the way. How did this record come together so quickly?

Alex: Well, it was kind of cool—Blood & Venom was written, developed, recorded and then mixed, mastered and turned into a vinyl record in a year to date from the first album. It was because we had a lot of songs that we wanted to do a quick follow-up to the first album, and we also wrote stuff specifically [for this record].

Tapes: Was it a split between writing songs in the studio and using material you already had?

Francis: Before we record we always make sure we have everything down pat. We practice it without vocals, we slow it down, we speed it up to make sure we're comfortable once we're paying money in the studio. So we're pretty utilitarian, spartan and efficient when it comes to recording and we drilled on these songs and wrote them up in a couple of months and then took them in and kicked them out.

Tapes: Listening through the latest record I notice a little bit of a different feel from the last record, were there different people involved with the recording of this record?

Alex: It was the same exact team as the first record, it was Devin Davis who is a totally awesome pop-rock superstar—he engineered it with Joel's gear, our friend who collects 1940's and '50s Lomo mics and Ampex pre-amps. We use a lot of really cool analog equipment on this record. It was mastered by All City Mastering, Peter Andreadis, the same guy who mastered the first record. And of course the other consistent thing is that, it's Francis and I still—it's two musicians. White Mystery is a two-piece, just drums and guitar, but what you do hear on it is we have castanets on this record, there's harmonica...

Francis: Vibraslap...

Alex: ...which is this really cool instrument that almost sounds like a rattle that you hear on Rolling Stones records. But it was made in a much different way than the first record—a different mindset—so, you might hear that too.

Tapes: Was there maybe some different music you were listening to while you were recording that you felt informed that sound of it?

Francis: I don't know—not much really changed over the past year. Well I guess a lot of stuff is always changing...

Alex: Yeah! What? (laughs)

Francis: I don't know, I feel like I have the same tastes though...

Alex: Yeah, but were you listening to the same exact bands?

Francis: It's pretty much just been Black Sabbath for the last four or five years.

Alex: Yeah, I feel like I was listening to a lot of stuff over the course of the year and plus we traveled a lot. Seeing other bands and touring through different towns, you absorb all of that and it comes out in your music.

Tapes: Well, one thing I really enjoyed about the latest album is that you guys named the opening track after yourself. How did you go about writing a song about your band?

Alex: Wow—that's a really cool question. I guess it started off where the song was kind of a about the ying and the yang. It's about two opposing views, it's about you and me, and me and you and that kind of thing. And, a lot of times, while Francis and I are brother and sister of course, we couldn't be more different in a lot of ways. That's the balance of the band and what allows us to be creative partners, it's that dichotomy between our personalities. You know, male and female, percussion and melody—all those different things. The song about White Mystery, called "White Mystery" is about that.

Tapes: That makes absolute sense. Do you guys have a favorite band with a song that they've written about themselves?

Francis: Black Sabbath.

Tapes: I found a blog that listed a bunch of examples—of course, Wilco wrote a song on their last record about themselves.

Alex: Is it called "Wilco"?

Tapes: It's called "Wilco (the song)"

Alex: There's one that comes to mind for me: The Gories. "Hey, hey we're the Gories," and it's your introduction song, we play it first in our set!

Tapes: Yeah, you don't have to go through that whole rote 'this is our band.' You just sing it. Well, you guys have obviously been out on tour quite a bit lately, we caught you at SXSW, in Chicago, etc. Have there been any favorite moments on this last tour?

Francis: Everywhere. I love this country, and I give credit to my sister for just being able to book the best possible show in every city with the best bands and the coolest people. It's just like finding where the best possible party is across the country—it's lovely.

Alex: Yeah, I was telling Fran, what's really cool about being a touring musician is that any time you meet someone on the street or at a bar, naturally, and they're like "Oh, I'm from Kansas City." It's like, "Oh, do you know the Brick? Do you know Esther?" And as you tour, you absorb these experiences, the scenery and different communities. Every town has their signature food, and it's always awesome getting things like the Saginaw, Michigan steak sandwich that everyone loves so much. But also, spreading your music because playing live shows is a really important outlet to bands and especially White Mystery.

Tapes: Yeah, it seems like this band has really cut its teeth touring. I know you've got a record release show in Chicago on 4/20, but what's next for White Mystery after that, are you going out on tour again?

Alex: Yeah, we're doing New York in May, so White Mystery is playing a week of shows in New York. Public Assembly in Brooklyn, we're playing Generation Records which is an awesome vinyl store over there. And then West Coast in August, a lot more Midwest stuff, Taste of Chicago—the biggest festival in Chicago, it'll be the second year that White Mystery plays that. Along with Millennium Park and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. In addition to the April 20 record release, we're also doing the April 29 art show. It's all the visual art that the band creates—art, graphics and the visual aesthetic of the band is just as important, so we'll have record design and one-of-a-kind shirts and briefs where we do these underwear sets.

Tapes: You guys do the linoleum prints, right?

Alex: Yeah, and they are hand-dyed textiles and floor-to-ceiling fabric panels that are stamped with patterns. So the White Mystery art show is going to be another really cool release of the year. If you go to whitemysteryband.com you can subscribe to our calendar, and it goes right your iCal. If you refresh it weekly there are always new shows and new events.

Thanks to White Mystery for sitting down to talk with me. Like Alex said, the band is always up to something—visit their website and snag a copy of Blood & Venom.

Solid Sound Plans Solidify

2011-04-21T15:40:00.000-05:00

One of my biggest regrets of last summer was having neither the time nor the resources to make it out to Wilco's inaugural Solid Sound Festival. From what I heard and read, it was an incredible experience, gathering a slew of Wilco fans in the beautiful confines of MASS MoCA for three days of music and art. This year, the independently organized festival is happening almost two months earlier than it did last summer (June 24-26), which means I'll be in attendance for the first time.

Of course, the undeniable highlight of the weekend's festivities are the two sets that Wilco will play over the course of the weekend's first two evenings. I expect they'll be debuting material from their upcoming record in addition to their usual live offerings. Today the band confirmed via Facebook that they'll be releasing an exclusive 7" single at the festival via their newly formed dBpm Records, featuring a brand new Wilco tune entitled "I Might."

Once again, various Wilco side-projects will also be performing, including The Autumn Defense, Pronto, Pillow Wand and Glenn Kotche on solo drum kit. Other notable artists on the bill include the Levon Helm Band, Thurston Moore, Sic Alps, Here We Go Magic and the Handsome Family. There will also be a comedy stage curated by Daily Show correspondent John Hodgman featuring comedians Wyatt Cenac, Eugene Mirman and Morgan Murphy. Additionally, there will be workshops with members of the group and their cohorts as well as the return of the charity dunking booth, which gives you the chance to drench your favorite member of Wilco.

I'm beyond excited—it's going to the well-deserved end to an almost year-and-a-half drought of live Wilco. Fellow fans, I'll see you in Massachusetts!

Album Review: LAKE "Giving & Receiving"

2011-04-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

A few years back, I opened an envelope containing a record entitled Let's Build a Roof by a band called LAKE. I didn't know it at the time, but it would end up being one of my favorite albums of 2009—a record pregnant with a palpable sense of yearning and perseverance, set against impeccable instrumentation and all expertly put to tape by K Records stalwart Karl Blau. While LAKE's latest effort does not quite match the heights reached by its predecessor, it does present a group that sounds exceedingly comfortable with their current trajectory, and with a willingness to push their boundaries ever so slightly.

In terms of its musical formula, Giving and Receiving does not deviate drastically from the band's past output. Almost every song is arranged in an exceedingly efficient manner, anchored by the bouncing pulse of the band's rhythm section and tastefully embellished with synthesizers and an unassuming horn section. The interplay between vocalists Eli and Ashley is another constant—songs like "One Small Step" and "Within Without" find their voices meshing in an exceedingly pleasant fashion. While the entire record flirts with a variety of twee-pop tendencies, nowhere is it more evident (and somewhat grating) than on "The Stars," a minute long track with a cringe-worthy lyric about denying friend requests. Elsewhere, these same proclivities work to the band's favor, specifically on "Roger Miller," named after the novelty singer/songwriter who would likely approve of much of the wordplay that LAKE employs on this whimsical ode to self-interpretation.

The only song that truly breaks the mold is the woozy krautrock of "Mother Nature's Promise," a characterically plodding number complete with repetitious lyrics and droning accompaniment. At times it sounds like Stereolab by way of Portland, and oddly enough it's a combination that makes for one of the record's most interesting moments. Also of note is the incessant "Skeleton Costume," a track with lush backing that masks some strangely macabre lyrical content. Moments such as these hint at a more experimental side of the group that has yet to be fully realized in the studio.

LAKE is a band characterized by their earnest intonations and breezy compositions, traits that Giving and Receiving repeatedly exemplifies. It's not music that relishes in its own technical brilliance, but rather a collection of songs with persevering sentiment. Perhaps the largest detriment is the deceptively effortless sound that LAKE employs, lulling the listener with simplistic melodies and nonchalant refrains. But if you're willing to spend some time with these songs, what you take away from this record rests primarily on the lyrical suggestion, "The more that you are giving / The more that you receive."

On the Radar: Errors "Come Down With Me"

2011-04-07T16:06:00.002-05:00

This side of the pond has missed out on the entirety of the catalog from Mogwai-founded Rock Action Records, which has put out a steady stream of releases in the UK since its inception. American audiences will be introduced to the label's offerings later this month when current Mogwai tourmates Errors unleash their latest full length Come Down With Me on April 12.

While Errors dabble in the same sort of atmospheric post-rock as their label's founders, the group's self-dubbed 'post-electro' sound finds them layering many of their instrumentals with thick layers of synth and other assorted electronics. Tracks like "A Rumour in Africa" and "Supertribe" exhibit an almost dancehall-like feel that falls in line with the work of bands like Holy Fuck and Ratatat. Conversely, there are moments on the record that sound like cast-offs from Mogwai's latest release, namely the ambling "Sorry About The Mess." It's this diversity that makes Errors' inaugural US release so exciting—a group whose execution is as consistent as its chameleon-like tendencies. A small taste of what's to come from Rock Action? I sure hope so.

MP3: Errors - "Supertribe"
MP3: Errors - "Sorry About The Mess"

Buy: Errors - Come Down With Me

Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Southeast Engine confirmed for Nelsonville Festival

2011-04-05T16:56:00.002-05:00

It's been a little while since my last update about the Nelsonville Music Festival, but with May quickly approaching, I thought I'd round up some of the more notable artists that have been announced over the past few weeks.

The first on that list is The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, a collaboration between Sean Lennon and his girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. The duo will bring their breezy folk tunes (and Beatles heritage) to the stage on Saturday. Also appearing on Saturday will be the local boys in Southeast Engine, fresh off the release of their latest folk-rock opus Canary.

Other recent additions to the line-up include James Gang devotees Mount Carmel, Canadian folk singer/songwriter Doug Paisley, brother of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and a wonderful musician in his own right Ned Oldham and his band Old Calf, and the subdued sounds of Cincinnati's Over the Rhine.

Head over to the festival's website for a complete list of confirmed artists and to buy tickets for what is sure to be one of the most exciting weekends for music in Ohio in recent memory.

Wrap-Up: SXSW 2011

2011-03-30T10:00:00.003-05:00

Reading through the various SXSW wrap-ups that have been hitting the web over the past week or so, I feel as if my experience differed quite drastically from those of many of the journalists covering the festival. Sure, I managed to walk by an Odd Future show in progress, but I certainly didn't catch any sets from the Strokes, Kanye West or even the girls in Wild Flag. That's one of the things that makes city-spanning events like SXSW so great—one has the ability to tailor every waking moment to their current tastes and whims. For five days, Austin plays host to every musical genre under the sun, in both official and unofficial settings that stretch all the way across town. I may have not had the full experience, but in between finding my way around, getting slightly sloshed and running into friends, I managed to see some pretty great bands during my two-day taste of the SXSW festivities.

After driving through the day (and night) on Thursday, my traveling party and I arrived in Austin Friday morning all bleary-eyed and decidedly not bushy-tailed. But when free music beckons, one answers the call. We made our way into Austin, descending upon the city from the South and winding our way into the relatively calm streets downtown before finding our way to Emo's for the Windish Agency day party. The free malt liquor was already flowing, and before too long Cults took the stage and made their way through a set of jangly indie pop. As that wrapped up, I headed indoors to check out my first big act of the day—a set from the decidedly ex-chillwave Toro Y Moi. Their latest, Underneath the Pine, left me wondering how it would translate in a live setting, but with the help of a backing band, Chaz Bundick's funk-infused tracks were as tight and energetic as they needed to be.

I high-tailed it next door to Barbarella for the Brooklyn Vegan bash in time to catch a set from Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers. At one point during the set Shilpa confessed to the crowd that she was totally plastered—at 3 PM on a Friday afternoon, mind you. Could have fooled me. I guess being more than a little drunk helps when your playing songs from a record as raucous as her self-titled debut. After Shilpa wrapped up, I tried making my way out back to see Deer Tick but was met by a sea of people packed in like sardines who were likely staking their claim for the Middle Brother show later that afternoon. I decided to head back inside and see Vetiver, who debuted a couple of new tracks while playing through some choice cuts from their past two records.

Moving on down the street to the A.V. Club's party at Mohawk, I walked in on Sharon Van Etten in the middle of her set. I watched for a bit and was generally impressed with how her dynamic with her band has improved since I last saw her earlier this year, but after a time I took my leave to see Chikita Violenta on the indoor stage. On record, this group is the Mexican equivalent of Broken Social Scene, thanks in large part to production work from frequent BSS collaborator Dave Newfeld. In concert, the band is much more scrappy, with songs echoing the work of groups like Superchunk and Pavement. In spite of some shoddy mixing, Chikita presented a solid performance that stuck closely to cuts from their new record TRE3S. Up next on the indoor stage was a spectacular set from Low, whose slowcore arrangements stood in stark contrast to every band I'd seen thus far. The group ran through some tracks from their forthcoming release C'mon, and generally basked in their plodding tempos and beautiful vocal harmonies—a welcome respite from the comparative chaos brewing on the streets outside.

After some delicious Chupacabra hot dogs with Team Clermont Steve, we checked out the always-fun Columbus natives Karate Coyote at a free showcase. Ohio was strongly represented at SXSW this year, thanks partially to the aptly-titled Ohio X Southwest party which brought many smaller, Columbus-based acts down to Austin.

After marveling at just how crowded 6th Street gets during SXSW, it was back indoors for the Nicodemus Agency showcase at Maggie Mae's. The night's first highlight was an amazing solo set from Damien Jurado, a guy with a voice that is endlessly entertaining to listen to, whether he's singing or telling stories. He did a fair bit of both, and even yelled at some particularly talkative folks hanging around the bar. But the music was what was most memorable, even if it did lack the accompaniment that Richard Swift provided on his last record. Up next were Tapes on the Floor favorites (and my reason for attending the showcase in the first place) Santah, who continue to impress me with each successive live performance. The group sounded great, running through the usual selection of tracks from White Noise Bed as well as some new tunes, including their ode to Chicago entitled "North Coast." Rumor has it the band just got signed, so chances are you'll be able to nab a fancy copy of their record within the year—I'm crossing my fingers for a vinyl release!

We managed to drag ourselves out of bed Saturday morning and make our way to the East Side Drive In for the Mess With Texas Party, which could be more aptly described as a mini-festival on the outskirts of Austin. I stuck around long enough to see most of Gentleman Jesse and His Men, but then promptly hoofed it over to yet another drive in theatre, this one called the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive In. And miniature it was, filled with tiny cars and a little screen painted on the back wall of some building. The reason for my attendance? Graveface Records was showcasing three bands from their roster underneath the sweltering Austin sun. Dreamend started the day out with a woozy collection of tracks stripped down to their essence and performed by Ryan Graveface himself on guitar and a drummer, my favorite of which was a grungy version of "Magnesium Light." Next up was Hospital Ships, who filled up the relatively small stage area with their expansive roster and burst into joyous songs about friends and rock 'n' roll. Capping off the line-up was the Appleseed Cast who blazed through what could easily be my favorite performance of SXSW. The guitars were appropriately loud and the moody, effects-soaked chords echoed through the miniature surroundings. I'm certainly looking forward to catching them again when they come through Columbus in early May.

Next, I journeyed over to the 40 Watt showcase at Sidebar in time to see Reptar take the stage, bursting into a set of synth-heavy numbers that featured the strikingly odd vocals of Graham Ulicny. About halfway through the set, the tent covering the stage toppled over, but the band didn't miss a beat. To my surprise (and delight) J. Roddy Walston and the Business were the next group on deck, so I stuck around to hear some their piano-driven rock. The long-maned J. Roddy is a force to reckoned with, simultaneously tickling the ivories and yowling his way through many an upbeat ditty.

After some delectable beef brisket, it was back over to the Mohawk for the Panache showcase. First on the docket was a set from boisterous chiptune rockers Anamanaguchi, who came with modded Nintendos and some wonderful 8-bit projections in tow. Typically I frown upon the overt use of backing tracks, but the group won me over with live instrumentation which was equally as tight as their pre-programmed accompaniment. Back outside, The Strange Boys were just getting started, making their way through a good majority of their recent Be Brave LP in succinct spurts, while basking in the glow of what seemed like a predominantly hometown crowd. Finally, just before midnight, Ty Segall and his band launched into a set that sent people stage-diving from all manner of balconies and speaker stacks. Barely catching their breath between songs, the group sped through some tracks from their forthcoming Drag City release as well as a few old favorites. Even on a night filled with garage rock, Segall solidified himself as one of the individuals at the forefront of the movement. As the final chords of "Sad Fuzz" faded into the night, I was out the door and on my way to Home Slice before crashing for the evening.

While SXSW may have officially ended on Saturday, an extra day of fun was awaiting anyone who stuck around Austin. We had breakfast at local staple Juan in a Million before heading over to Beerland for the Panache Hangover Party. I caught sets from the likes of Turbo Fruits, Tôg, Heavy Cream, Pujol and the illustrious White Mystery. Capped off with ribs at the legendary Stubb's BBQ, it wasn't a half-bad way to spend a Sunday.

Final thoughts on my first trip to Austin for SXSW? Pretty damn fun. I'll be back again soon, if only for some more of Torchy's Tacos.

Album Review: Grandkids "Sister Walls EP"

2011-03-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

Like the slender fox that graces its cover, Grandkids' latest Sister Walls EP is a poised and calculating beast, its taut muscles rippling with waves of melodious capacity. It's enough to make your fur stand on end. But that's to be expected from Vivian McConnell, the proprietor of a beautiful voice most often found belting out harmonies for Chicago folk-rockers Santah. With her compatriots in Grandkids, those dulcet tones are brought to the foreground, resting gingerly on the shoulders of the group's gently flowing arrangements.

It starts simply enough with the Fahey-esque fingerpicking of opening track "Where's My Tribe," quickly joined by the forceful yet restrained bowing of Adam Gorcowski on cello. It's uncommon to find a group so ably anchored by this ample, stringed instrument, but Gorcowski proves its merit as he capably lays a foundation for his bandmates to embellish upon. That exact sort of subtle aggrandizement takes place over the course of "Clocktower," as McConnell's tranquil cadence floats above a bed of slowly building instrumentation. With its glistening guitars and faint rhythms, its arrangement echoes the lyrical conceit of being "stuck in golden honeytime." After a short interlude, "As the Gull Flies" finds the titular birds squealing above the bay as McConnell's voice laps against the shore. The song crests and settles into a swaying, oceanic groove—marooning the listener on an island with nothing more than this idyllic tune. It's arguably the most stripped down track on the record, but the palpable sense of intimacy that results is unmatched. For the finale, the group lets loose on "Geese," a somewhat silly, upbeat number that serves as an almost cathartic release in light of the more subdued tracks that precede it.

Grandkids forged an identity for themselves on their self-titled, debut EP and on Sister Walls that sound is finessed even further. The quartet turns in a collection of songs that are more restrained in nature, but display an unprecedented level of sophistication. Call it humblecore, call it chamber pop, call it whatever you like—Sister Walls is a record full of handcrafted, homegrown music with a youthful face and an old soul.

The Sister Walls EP is available as a free download on Grandkids' Bandcamp

The National & Owen Pallett head to MusicNOW 2011

2011-03-09T16:23:00.002-06:00

The Bryce Dessner-curated MusicNOW announced the line-up for the 2011 edition of their festival, taking place May 13-15 in Cincinnati. Friday will feature Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) performing with ymusic as well as Megafaun collaborating with jazz collective Fight the Bull on 'Sounds of the South. ' Saturday at Memorial Hall will see a trio of performances from Owen Pallett, Tim Hecker and Little Scream. On Sunday, the festivities move to the Cincinnati Music Hall where the National will play their first Cincinnati show since 2008 with support from Sharon Van Etten.

Astute readers might notice that the festival's dates directly conflict with the Nelsonville Music Festival. While I'm saddened that I will once again be missing out on attending MusicNOW, I see no reason why two musical events such as these can't happily coexist. Cincinnati is a three hour drive away from Nelsonville—one could conceivably catch The Flaming Lips and Yo La Tengo on Saturday and then make a short trip to see the National the following night. I'm just happy that our state is supporting such a great amount of quality live music, and even more pleased that it's happening in unique festival settings.

Tickets for MusicNOW go on sale March 15, and you can read my review of the 2008 edition of the festival here.

Austin Bound

2011-03-08T09:00:00.003-06:00

We're already a week into March, which means that SXSW is officially a little less than a week away. Traditionally, this is a week in which I furiously scour music blogs, squirming with jealousy at the bounty of quality live music happening just over 1000 miles away. This year, I'll be joining in the music industry's mass exodus to Austin, TX to drop in on a portion of the week's festivities.

I've never been to Austin before, so I'm excited to experience the city firsthand. I'm certainly interested in any place whose two major food groups seem to be barbecue and Mexican cuisine. Initially I was a bit worried about diving into the festival without any official credentials, but the amount of free shows and parties I've stumbled upon thus far is staggering. The past few weeks have been a deluge of e-mailed invitations and hasty RSVP's—at this point I'm just trying to narrow my list down.

I'm looking forward to catching up with the folks in Santah, who are heading down to Texas fresh off of several weeks of recording for their latest EP. The Graveface Records showcase on Friday night will also be a priority for me as I've been wanting to catch Dreamend live for some time now and am curious about what the Appleseed Cast's latest material sounds like. On Saturday, the Mess With Texas Party looks like the day's best bet, featuring sets from the likes of the Dodos, Strange Boys, the Fresh and Onlys, DOM, Surfer Blood, Deertick and the Dead Milkmen (!) at a drive in theater in Austin. If I can drag myself out of bed on Sunday, I'll definitely be hitting the Panache Annual Hangover Party to catch sets by Turbo Fruits, Surf City, Fergus and Geronimo, Suuns and White Mystery. It's going to be an endurance test, but one I'm happy to submit to.

I'll be doing my best to document as many of the sets I see as possible and report back once it's all over, much like I did at CMJ this past Fall. For up to the minute dispatches, keep an eye on my Twitter feed as I'll likely be chronicling my journeys (and taco consumption) there. See you in Austin!

Yo La Tengo and Wanda Jackson added to Neslonville Festival

2011-02-28T14:15:00.002-06:00

All the way back in 2009, Yo La Tengo played Stuart's Opera House, turning in one of best performances I'd ever seen in that venue. Today brought the announcement that the indie rock legends will be returning to Nelsonville once again, to play Saturday at the Nelsonville Music Festival. I couldn't be happier.

Also among the latest salvo of performers announced today is the self-proclaimed Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson who will performing on Sunday. Appearing at various points during all three days of the festival will be folk-singer Michael Hurley and the off-beat country-stylings of Drakkar Sauna. Saturday will also feature performances from Cleveland-based Baroque-pop artist Baby Dee and the Columbus soul outfit Nick Tolford & Company.

As of this morning, single day passes for the Nelsonville Music Festival are on sale via their website. Whether you're planning on attending one day or all three, from the looks of this line-up, (with more bands yet to be announced) we're all in for an excellent weekend of music!

Album Review: Mogwai "Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will"

2011-02-21T09:30:00.003-06:00

Grapple with your own mortality all you want—you're simply not hardcore enough to live forever. Coming off of the focused intensity of Mr. Beast which in turn bled into the heavy, over-indulgent slog of The Hawk is Howling, Mogwai's latest finds the Scottish post-rock outfit reaching for immortality and settling for clever epitaphs. Despite being reunited with Paul Savage, producer of the group's seminal debut Young Team, at this point it's unfair to expect another release of that magnitude. Bands of this persuasion so often start their careers with the ferocity of hurtling comets, only to slowly cool and settle into comfortable orbits. What makes Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will so interesting is the erratic path it has decided upon.

The gently bouncing delay of "White Noise" opens the record, slowly forming a path towards the inevitable crescendo. Admittedly, it's no huge departure for the group, but with 16 years of experience under their belts, the execution is nothing if not masterful. The fuzzed-out guitars of lead single "Rano Pano" just miss overstaying their welcome, before promptly being absorbed into a spacey, shoegaze romp. "San Pedro" flirts with same concise, riff-based structure of "Glasgow Mega-Snake," featuring crisp guitar lines and some of the poppiest melodies ever to grace a Mogwai record. In lesser hands, the krautrock-tinged "George Square Thatcher Death Party" might ring of amateurism, but here it's a textbook example in the tasteful use of vocoders. "How To Be A Werewolf" is at first blush an almost quintessential Mogwai arrangement, rife with ambiance and propelled by an ever-building push towards a majestic and joyous conclusion, the execution of which is almost dauntless in its resolution.

In spite of its numerous successes, an album with as much scope as this is not without its missteps, and unfortunately most of Mogwai's find them repeating past indiscretions. Closing track "You're Lionel Richie" is an overlong decent into the same sort of heavy, sludgy sound that plagued much of The Hawk is Howling. "Letters to the Metro" attempts to exist in the same piano-driven vein as "Auto Rock" but devolves into a repetitious ballad with no climax to speak of. Although its disappointing to see the group falling into familiar traps, some comfort can be taken in the fact that even Mogwai's more egregious tracks stand head and shoulders above those of the hordes of post-rock imitators that have sprung to life throughout the years.

On their latest release, Mogwai eschew the categorical conceits of their previous two releases in favor of a more all-encompassing look at the gracefully aging band's palette. While not without its flaws, it's a record that simultaneously celebrates the group's multifaceted past while admirably breaking new ground. Thematically, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will feels like an acknowledgment of age slowly catching up with us, death growing ever closer, and the temporary but transcendental ability of music to preserve us in time, if only for a split second. Mogwai's not ready to die just yet, and this record is proof positive that they still have something left to offer.

Justin Townes Earle, Lost in the Trees and more join Nelsonville Music Festival line-up

2011-02-15T16:42:00.002-06:00

With just under three months to go, the Nelsonville Music Festival has managed to ramp up anticipation even further with today's announcement of five more bands slated to appear at this year's event.

Joining the Friday night line-up is Justin Townes Earle, who will be fresh off of his tour supporting the Decemberists. Also appearing late on Friday night will be Colombian electro tropical group Bomba Estéreo and Californian psychedelic surf-rockers the Growlers. On Saturday, Chicago-based "circus punk marching band" Mucca Pazza will serve as the perfect appetizer to the over-the-top antics of the Flaming Lips later that evening. Finally, Sunday will see Chapel Hill folk orchestra Lost in the Trees taking the stage in Ohio once again after a recent appearance in Columbus at the Wexner Center.

Take another look at that those names—it's hard to deny that this is shaping one of the more diverse line-ups that this festival has ever hosted. And with over 25 more bands left to be announce, it's only going to get better. Snag those tickets—you don't want to miss this one.

Interview: Maps & Atlases

2011-02-08T10:00:00.002-06:00

Early last month, the wonderful Maps & Atlases graced the stage at Stuart's Opera House as the headliner for the second annual Cabin Fever Festival. Launching straight into the driving riffs of "Living Decorations," the group quickly struck the balance between their folk-rock tendencies and math-rock precision, as showcased on their latest release Perch Patchwork. Tracks like "The Charm" and "Israeli Caves" bristled with energy and saturated the room with percussive intensity. By the time the band reached the rousing finale of "Solid Ground," there was still a palpable enthusiasm filling the room that was not wasted on the exiting performers. Taking to the pit in front of the stage, the group cobbled together some impromptu acoustic versions of a few older tracks from their catalog as the remaining crowd huddled around. It was an appropriately intimate ending to an evening that had already set an exceedingly receptive tone.

Earlier that day, I had the chance to sit down with lead vocalist Dave Davison and guitarist Erin Elders and talk about the recording process for their most recent record, the band's affinity for Columbus, OH and where to get the best veggie hot dogs.

Tapes: This past year saw the release of your first full length record, entitled Perch Patchwork. Was it any different shifting from recording EPs to working on a full length record?

Dave: It was, with both of our EPs I think we started out with the intention—however unclear—of working towards an LP. But when we got to the point where each of them were finished, the first being seven songs and the second being five, they just seemed to have a consistent energy throughout that we didn't necessarily feel could be maintained for an entire long-playing album. So I guess it was different insomuch as we set out to have a piece of music that had all different types of variation in tempos, etc.—just a flow to it throughout that made sense as a long piece of music.

Tapes: One thing I noticed about this latest record is that it has this slightly more organic feel to it, almost folk-y at time. It's an element of your music that's always been there, but on this one it showed through a bit more. It almost felt like there was a change of scenery—where did you guys end up recording this record, and did you feel that influenced the way the album sounds?

Dave: I guess it's hard to say whether or not it was scenery. It was done in a very comfortable way—a lot of it was recorded at my parent's house or at our practice space that we've had for all these years and we did a couple of days at Electrical Audio which was really exciting. I think the feel stems from a mentality of experimenting in different ways with the core of a song—in some ways that core potentially showed itself more on this record just because we were experimenting with different aspects of things on different parts. There's still a lot of layering in the same way that we did on the previous EP, but I guess we were just going for a lot of things—trying all sorts of things we'd always wanted to try.

Erin: A lot of it also comes from the way the EPs are so guitar driven and this was the first time we'd really stepped outside of that and experimented with a lot of different instrumentation.

Tapes: Well, as far as instrumentation goes, I've always felt as if you're a very percussive-based group—be it the finger-tapping or the interplay within your rhythm section. On this record, it almost felt as if you were bringing that percussive element to the forefront—was that a conscious decision or more of a natural progression?

Dave: I think that was one of the first things that we ever really acknowledged. It was like "OK, we seem to naturally do this well together, let's see where it takes us." It was kind of an extension of the stuff we've done before, but I think where it's different in the context of Perch Patchwork is that there was more contrast between the rhythmic ideas and then also with the strings having this more flowing sound. That was one of the ideas we had in terms of making it flow more—to have these really rhythmic parts go into these really flowing parts, and slow to fast, which is a variation which I don't think existed as much on the EPs.

Tapes: Next I'd like to talk about on track in particular, the title track "Perch Patchwork." It's the album's most pastoral track, and in the same way you talk about making tracks flow, I felt that this song almost had movements to it. Is there a story behind this track and the way you recorded it?

Dave: Really, I think that track is the most mysterious one to myself and the rest of the band on the record. Certain songs arise in different ways, and feel like that song was this weirdly intuitive thing that we knew was cool, but couldn't exactly pinpoint where it was stemming from necessarily, but it was really exciting. Working on it with Jason Cupp who produced the album, we both had a lot of different ideas about where it go and we ended up trying a lot of stuff and it kind of just went in that direction. We definitely did go into it with the idea of it having movements and whether it was going to be building in this way or falling apart in that way—it went through a few different phases, but I'm really excited about the way it ended up.

Having that really syncopated vocal part at the end—I kind of had some idea of how each of those parts would fit together, but on the record it came out a lot better. A lot of that had to do with Jason's help producing the record, but I think that it came out better than I expected which is always a good thing. I also do think that song specifically is a progression in a lot of the ways that we hoped this record would be. We'd never really done any extreme tempo changes, we'd never really done too many crazy time signature changes—certainly nothing as drastic as the ones in that song—and we'd never done any major key changes in a song. ["Perch Patchwork"] has all three of those elements, and one of the goals was to make those things happen but for them not be a focal point—to just have them happen seamlessly and to have them serve the purpose of this song in general. We just wanted to have it happen and work, and I hope that happened...

Tapes: I definitely think so—moving away from the album a little bit, the first time I saw you guys play was a couple years back in Milwaukee on the Fourth of July when you opened up for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks...

Dave: That was awesome!

Tapes: Yeah, I felt that must have been a pretty big deal for you guys and I was wondering as you've moved along as a band what has it been like meeting those people that you grew up listening to?

Dave: Actually, that day we had the opportunity to meet Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, which was amazing and I'm definitely a fan. When I first went to college I was a little bit conscious of Pavement, but my first two weeks of college, the first friend that I made there gave me that first Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks record and I was just super into it and I thought they were this new band and I had no idea that he was in Pavement. I was like 'We all have gotta go see this band,' and they announce this show at the Metro which is this pretty big venue in Chicago, and I was like 'Whoa, they must be doing really well!' So I got all these people to come to the show who obviously didn't know Pavement existed and it was sold out, and again I was like 'Wow, they must be doing really well,' and then not too long after I found out about the history of Pavement and how Stephen Malkmus was in it and all this stuff—it was just this silly thing because I was so into that record.

I guess just on the subject of meeting people, yeah, it's been really amazing to meet people who you actually listened to when you were younger. Obviously we have just been really lucky to have the opportunity to play with all kinds of bands that we like, and that's definitely one of the most awesome elements of being in a band. The last tour that we were on, we did a short run with Broken Bells, and that was just amazing to be able to play with James Mercer and Danger Mouse.

Tapes: Of course! Alright, moving away from the music, I read an article somewhere that you guys are big fans of Dirty Frank's in Columbus. Now I know most of the folks in the band are vegetarian, and I'm not to start a feud or anything, but who's got the better veggie dog, Dirty Frank's or Chicago's famous Hot Doug's?

Erin: Well, the thing about Dirty Frank's is that there's a huge variety. Hot Doug's is pretty awesome, and being from Chicago you've gotta support Hot Doug's but you can get any of the Dirty Frank's hot dogs as vegetarian where as you really only have one option at Hot Doug's.

Dave: Yeah, another thing in Chicago—not dissing Hot Doug's—at several of the Whole Foods there, you can get super cheap Chicago-style veggie hot dogs. And so, whenever I'm in the mood for that in Chicago, I just go to Whole Foods. But yeah, Dirty Frank's, I feel like I'm constantly rep-ing that place to everybody—I'm constantly getting text messages from people that I forgot I even mentioned it to and they're like 'Yeah, we're on tour and we went through Columbus and went to Dirty Frank's!'

Tapes: Especially if you're a band from Chicago, that's a little slice of home in Columbus between Old Style bottles and all the Cubs paraphernalia...

Dave: Definitely, I think we as a band definitely like Columbus a lot. We play there pretty often, and one of my really good friends went to Ohio State so I was visiting down there and became kind of familiar, so by the time that we started touring it was one of those places where we knew a couple people, could stay there and it just seemed comfortable and there was good vegetarian stuff to eat around, so we definitely back Columbus.

Tapes: Alright, well obviously 2010 has been a really great year for the band, I guess I'm kind of wondering what's next for the group? Do you have plans to head back into the studio soon?

Dave: We don't have any specific plans to, but I'm sure that we will at some point this year. We're kind of figure that out—it's interesting because we're always working on stuff and coming up with ideas but I think we're finally getting to a point where, after playing the songs on Perch Patchwork long enough, we can have a perspective on what we can do beyond that. Not necessarily a step forward, but I think you're always reluctant to jump right back into doing something until you have a perspective on what you've just worked on.

Tapes: Until you close the book on what you've done with this record?

Dave: Exactly, and I think that's why hopefully our releases have a sort of common thread between them, but are different because we come out with something, we tour on it, we get a feel for it live and then we feel like we need to break from that and do the next thing. So hopefully now we have a perspective on what we've done and we'll figure out that next thing.

Many thanks to Maps & Atlases for taking the time to talk with me. Make sure you check out Andrew Spear's video of their awesome acoustic encore at Stuart's Opera House!

Flaming Lips & Neko Case Announced as Nelsonville Music Festival Headliners

2011-02-05T20:37:00.003-06:00

I've been sitting on this news for awhile now—it's taken all the willpower I possess to not blurt this out to someone. But last night we made it official: The Flaming Lips and Neko Case are going to be headlining this year's edition of the Nelsonville Music Festival from May 13-15. Country music legend George Jones will also be playing on Friday night. It's arguably the most exciting set of headliners this festival has ever played host to.

Over 30 more bands will be added to the line-up over the course of the coming months—a mix of local and national acts which will convene in one of the best festival settings I've ever experienced. For an idea of just how awesome this event is, read my review of last year's festival. Tickets go on sale this Monday, at an extremely reasonable price considering the acts announced thus far.

Bottom line, even if you're not from around the area, this may be worth a trip to little old Nelsonville, OH. I'll be posting more on line-up confirmations as that news rolls in.

Full disclosure—I'm currently interning for festival organizers Stuart's Opera House

Wilco Launch dBpm Records

2011-01-26T18:49:00.008-06:00

In an interview with Express Night Out last summer, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline alluded to the band starting a label of their own once their contract with Nonesuch came to an end. Months later, it appears as if Cline's predictions have come to pass as the group today announced the formation of its own dBpm Records. Longtime Wilco manager Tony Margherita will run the label from its headquarters in Easthampton, MA, and distribution will be handled through ANTI- Records. The label will release future Wilco records and could conceivably act as a home for side-project releases from band members as well as friends and contemporaries.

"This is an idea we've discussed for years,” said Tweedy in a statement issued by the label. “We really like doing things ourselves, so having our own label feels pretty natural to me. And, to be working with ANTI- a label that has its roots in a label that was started by a punk rock guy to sell his own records seems like a perfect fit for us.”

Wilco is currently hard at work recording their next record at "The Loft" in Chicago and will be returning to MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA to curate and perform at the second edition of their Solid Sound Festival from June 24 - 26.

Interview: Pomegranates

2011-01-24T22:29:00.007-06:00

A few weeks back, I again crossed paths with the Cincinnati-based pop rock band Pomegranates as they played the second annual Cabin Fever Festival at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio. The group's reverb-drenched guitars sounded appropriately gigantic filling the cavernous venue, enveloping the crowd in the warm embrace of their latest record's title track, "One of Us." It was immediately apparent that the band has only become more polished in the short time since I saw them at this past year's CMJ festival, turning the dreamy "Create Yr Own Reality" into a seemingly effortless showcase of the each member's talents. Shifting from the pronounced rhythms of "50's" to the tropical shoegaze of "Beachcomber," I found myself basking in the atmosphere of each variation of the quartet's unique sound. The overwhelming jubilance of their closing song "Everybody Come Outside" was enough to win over even the staunchest curmudgeon—not that I noticed any.

Prior to taking the stage, lead singer Joey Cook, drummer Jacob Merritt and guitarist Daniel Lyons were kind enough to sit down with me to talk about their latest record, the songwriting practices of Huey Lewis and the News, as well as their purported celestial inspirations.

Tapes: This band has been amazingly prolific in its relatively short existence—as a group you've released an album a year for the past three years. What has kept you producing records so rapidly?

Joey: I think that we try to have band practice a lot, and then when we're at band practice we tend to not be able to NOT write songs. I think that's just what happens—we sometimes, accidentally write a lot.

Jacob: We'll just have a little idea, and we'll kind of go with it spontaneously. Unlike a lot of bands, there's not one person who writes the songs—and sometimes bands work that way, where there's one mastermind.

Joey: Like Huey Lewis and his News.

Jacob: Yeah, Huey Lewis and the News comes to mind. (laughs)

Joey: I don't actually know how they write... sorry.

Jacob: With us it's completely collaborative, so we don't have to wait on one person to have an idea, because if any of us have an idea, there's four-times as much likelihood that something might happen.

Joey: And a lot of times, Jacob from his drumming chair will say 'What if you play something that's like...' (hums melody)

Daniel: Or just clicks his sticks against the drum...

Joey: 'What if you do this kind of rhythm?' (slaps leg) 'Was somebody just doing...' (hums melody)

Jacob: But they actually weren't...

Joey: Jacob has a producer's ear. He would say that, but he won't say that right now, because I just said it. (laughs)

Tapes: Let's talk a little bit about your latest record One of Us—without a doubt one of my favorite records of the year. You achieved this very atmospheric sound and I was wondering what you thought informed that mood?

Joey: The stars. (laughs) Nah—I mean, kind of. In a little way...

Jacob: I think when we set out to start writing it we knew we wanted to make it a little bit more... drone-y? In the past, we would put four or five random parts together and just pack them all into a song. Our attention spans seemed very short and we had a fear of conventional song structures. This time we were like, 'Let's just groove.' And so, with the grooving came lots of reverb it seems—more reverb than usual.

Joey: Yeah, I think we were—maybe collectively, and definitely individually—listening to more ambient music and wanted to do an album that felt more like an album and less like a collection of songs.

Tapes: One of the things I really enjoyed on this new record were the string arrangements that you used on tracks like "Prouncer" and "The Positive Light". I felt that it fit into—as you were saying—a more cohesive feel for the record. I was wondering how you went about implementing that—oftentimes bands are acquainted with string-arrangers, was that the case here?

Joey: It was the guy we were recording with, who owns The Monastery studio, his name is Ric Hordinski. He said, 'What do you want on the album? Don't worry about budget, just what would you want?' And we said, 'Well, it'd be cool to have strings on an album—we've never had real instrumentation like that.' And he said, 'Yeah, I know a guy who helps me sometimes,' and he [Paul Patterson] was this guy who plays in the Cincinnati orchestra and is incredible—apparently he's a great banjo player as well.

Jacob: He plays every stringed instrument very well—a virtuoso.

Joey: So some of the parts, like in "The Positive Light," for the first half of the song he just replicated keyboard parts that were already written. And for the outro, he just went nuts and wrote an arrangement by himself in a few minutes. It was really awesome to see him work.

Tapes: Speaking of people you worked with on this record, you enlisted T.J. Lipple from Aloha to produce. What was it like working with another artist who's very much in the same sphere as you, being a fellow Ohio-based musician? I know you've worked with him in the past, but what did he bring to the table for this record?

Jacob: It seemed like he had a pretty good idea of what we were trying to accomplish. We did a tour with Aloha for a few weeks before we recorded, so he was really able to hear the songs for a while and get an idea of parts that could be improved or different ways to arrange them. He just had an ear for what we were going for as far as dreamy, reverb-y sounds go.

Joey: Yeah, he's a wizard. (laughs)

Tapes: Well, Aloha has definitely dabbled in the same sort of sound—I think I even heard some of T.J.'s marimba on a couple of your tracks?

Joey: That's correct—we were honored!

Tapes: Another thing I'd like to touch on is the song "50's"—this extremely solid pop-rock song that you have towards the beginning of the record. I understand there's a bit of a story behind this track?

Joey: Unfortunately Issac is not here, but I'll tell it as best I know it. He wrote that and recorded it on his own, and there's a friend of ours in Cincinnati named Andrew Clarke who also recorded a song and did a split single for our blog. Issac did that and I couldn't stop listening to the demo he had done, so I texted him while I was at work or something, I was like, "Will you let us play this song? Can we do something with this?" And we did it at practice and right away it felt so good—we changed it a little bit, but for the most part it was what he had written.

Daniel: I remember the first time I heard it, I was in the van and Issac just played it—I didn't even know it was him. (laughs)

Tapes: As a guy who has spent a good part of his life in Ohio, one of the things I really admire about this group is that you've stuck around the state. What about Cincinnati and Ohio in general has kept you making music here?

Joey: It feels like most of the people that we're closest to are in Cincinnati and still doing really cool things there, so there's not a real reason to leave. It also makes it easy that touring from Cincinnati is a piece of cake—it's pretty close to everything. It's a day's drive from most major cities you'd want to play in.

Daniel: To me, people in Ohio—and this isn't true for everyone—they seem more humble. They're not as concerned as people in New York or LA are with status and how much money you make.

Joey: I will say, I've always been surprised in New York about how nice everyone is. (laughs)

Daniel: Not saying that people are jerks or anything, but yeah...

Jacob: Cincinnati is very affordable too, which is a big plus.

Tapes: Well, that seems pretty important when you're in a band. So, what's next for Pomegranates this year? Are you headed to SXSW this March?

Joey: We actually were just talking about that a couple of days ago...

Jacob: We'll know in the next few days what our plans are.

Joey: It's just so hot [in Austin], you know?

Tapes: Well, I think you'll be ready for a break from the Ohio winter by then. One more question for you—one of you recently posted online about creating some sort of studio in Cincinnati and I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about that.

Jacob: I probably put that up there, because I've had a hankering to do a recording studio for many a moon. At this point in my life being 26—I'll be 27 in March—I'm not a grandpa necessarily, but I'm starting to feel the clock tick a little bit and so I thought maybe there's some other way I could potentially supplement my income by recording bands. I like touring, but I think all of us really enjoy the recording process. And as a band that's toured and recorded a few times, I know recording can be very stressful or it can be very cathartic and rewarding and memorable. I feel like once you're in a band and tour a lot, you might have a different dynamic that you can bring to the table for bands that want to record, where you can create a really good environment for them. So, hopefully I get to the point where I can do that and create a recording environment that's very conducive to making good music and thinking about life and what's important and why people even want to make music in the first place, if that makes sense?

Thanks to Pomegranates for graciously agreeing to chat with me. Look for my interview with co-headliners Maps & Atlases later this week!

In Remembrance of Trish Keenan

2011-01-14T09:16:00.008-06:00

Today the world has lost the wonderful voice of Trish Keenan, lead singer of the English experimental electronic pop duo Broadcast. Warp Records has released a statement on the matter that I won't bother re-hashing here.

I recall first getting my hands on a Broadcast record during a time back in high school when I was totally taken with the music of Stereolab and went looking for similar thrills. I ended up with a copy of their Extended Play Two EP, an ethereal set of songs that I still find myself going back to from time to time.

In October of 2009, I was lucky enough to get to see Broadcast perform on their dual-headlining tour with Atlas Sound. I recall them opening with a winding and dense 20-minute track that found the duo behind their synthesizers exchanging volleys of noise, with the occasional yelp or howl from Keenan. When the group launched into their more recognizable songs, Keenan firmly planted herself directly in front of the projection screen, colors and shapes oscillating on her white dress and pale complexion. There was no need for theatrics or flailing about—just the presence of that unmistakably beautiful voice.

Thanks for the music, the best of which lent a dream-like glaze to the oftentimes bitter reality that we inhabit. Trish Keenan, you'll be sorely missed.

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Albums of 2010

2010-12-31T15:00:00.007-06:00

After taking almost the entire year to carefully consider the music that would appear on this list, I'm now ready to reveal my favorite records of the year—and not a day too soon. 2010 was another corker as far as music goes, but I feel as if I've been saying that every year for a while now. The truth is, I listened to more things this year than ever before, and while I loved quite a bit of it, the records on this list are the standouts that truly stuck with me. So here they are, my favorite albums of 2010 listed alphabetically by artist.

Write About Love - Belle and Sebastian
It's probably bad form to call Write About Love Belle and Sebastian's comeback record—they never really left or went on hiatus, it just took four years between releases. However, even for a group who practically wrote the book on twee indie-pop, the musical landscape of 2010 is a far cry from that of 2006. This makes the fact that Belle and Sebastian haven't really changed one bit all the more delightful. They're still complaining about their day-jobs ("Write About Love") and making grandiose demands ("I Want the World to Stop") atop the bouncing strains of catchy, upbeat arrangements. "Make me dance/I want to surrender," croons Stuart Murdoch on the record's opening track—it's hard to come up with a better summation than that.

Brothers - The Black Keys
I've always been a strong proponent of the Black Keys—much like myself, they're Ohio boys with a penchant for the blues. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that I think that Brothers is their strongest effort since Rubber Factory. This record finds the duo melding the raw sound of their earlier recordings with the production values of their latter-day output—a near-perfect balance of old and new with a cohesive direction. Whether it's the swirling organ and earnest falsetto present on "The Only One" or the bellowing low-end of "Howlin' For You," Brothers proves that the Akron twosome still have a few tricks up their collective sleeve.

Black Sands - Bonobo
There's at least one album I put on my list each year that I feel I really have no right talking about. I'd never heard of Bonobo (British producer Simon Green) until this record fell into my lap earlier this year, but his orchestral trip-hop arrangements instantly made me a fan. Black Sands is an electronic album planted firmly in the analog world, buoyed by a seemingly classically trained ear for melody that transcends the hook-obsessed state of modern electronic music. The danceable beats of "Kiara" and "1009" stand shoulder to shoulder with the meticulously composed instrumentals of "El Toro" and the record's title track. It's a juxtaposition that requires delicate control, but one that Green pulls off successfully and to great effect.

Forgiveness Rock Record - Broken Social Scene
For the sprawling Canadian collective's fourth act, the group traveled to Chicago to record with John McEntire at Soma studios. The result is another art-rock opus featuring an ample cast of players and guests. For a band that has split off in so many different directions in the years since their last record-proper, it's refreshing to hear all these people bringing their influences into the fold and playing off each other in the same place. The variety is key, bouncing from anthemic Kevin Drew-fronted numbers like "World Sick" and "Forced to Love" to the soft trills of Lisa Lobsinger on "All to All" to Emily Haines' decidedly subdued "Sentimental X's." McEntire's production work negates any sonic disparity, making for an album bound together by an intense love of music in all its permutations.

Halcyon Digest - Deerhunter
For a person such as myself who has always been intrigued with bits and pieces of each subsequent Deerhunter and Atlas Sound release, Halcyon Digest is the perfect blend of both projects' at-times disparate sensibilities. Under the direction of maestro Bradford Cox, the group takes their usual shoegaze-y sound and injects it with a bit more of the pop spirit of Cox's solo work. The result is a record that doesn't sound drastically different from the band's previous efforts, but one with many more memorable moments—be it the sax solo on "Coronado" or the synth-heavy repose of "Helicopter". Under the watchful eye of producer Ben Allen, it all comes together in a way that injects new life into the weird and wonderful melodies this group is capable of.

Tommy - Dosh
What is there left to say about an album and artist that I've gushed about for the better part of this past year? Dosh's latest loop-filled release keeps the creative wheels turning, resulting in a record that holds new surprises at every turn. There's the fast-paced collage of an opener "Subtractions," which seems to throw in just about every trick in the book. Just down the line is the atmospheric "Airlift," which I suppose you could peg as Dosh's contribution to the 'chillwave' fad. Closing out the record is "Gare de Lyon," an expansive and fitting tribute to the album's namesake—the late soundman Tom Cesario. Tommy is a portrait of an artist putting familiar tools to new tasks, all the while finding new ways to excite and amaze.

Skit I Allt - Dungen
I like to think that Dungen's latest record was conceived in a haze of pot smoke, amid stacks of Camel and King Crimson records. From the sound of it, my assessment can't be far from the truth, as the Sweden-based outfit's record is another slightly stoned take on the '70s prog-rock sound. Ringleader Gustav Ejstes populates each track with a sense of nostalgic wonder, drawing from a palette of fuzzed-out guitars, percussive organs and trilling flute. As should be the case, there is no lack of distinct and memorable melodies, evident on tracks like "Skit I Allt" and "Marken Lag Stilla". As indebted to their forbearers as this collection of songs may be, on this record Dungen lovingly crafts the sound into something that nearly transcends that association.

Cosmogramma - Flying Lotus
On his sprawling sci-fi, jazz-tinged, hip-hop exploration, LA best scene producer and musician Steven Ellison creates one of the most alluring pieces of art to come out this generation's liberal cut-and-paste mentality. Flirting with everything from oriental melodies to sweeping orchestral overtures, FlyLo layers entirely disparate sounds between ample helpings of glitchy synths and sporadic beats resulting in a unique blend of classical and modern sensibilities. It's an interstellar voyage from start to finish, never dwelling on one musical thought for too long and packing in appearances from folks like Thom Yorke and Ravi Coltrane. That it succeeds is a credit to Ellison's off-beat musical mind, but its unlikely cohesion is something akin to magic.

What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood - The Mynabirds
Laura Burhenn set out to make a modern Motown masterpiece, and with the help of producer Richard Swift, she succeeded. What We Lose in the Fire is the kind of record that oozes with soul, bouyed forward by Burhenn's awe-inspiring voice and pitch-perfect instrumentation. The slow-burning opening track sets the mood, augmenting a fairly simple arrangement with accents like a swirling organ and glistening horn section. "Numbers Don't Lie" sounds like some long lost Motown 45, preserved in all its dusty, jangly glory. It's a hodge-podge of influences and call-backs but a record that manages to pay its dues while still offering something all its own.

High Violet - The National
Maturation is a natural part of life—even bands do it, and on the Nationals latest release you can hear them doing just that. High Violet is a record bereft of the sonic energy found on Alligator and portions of Boxer, replaced instead with an earnest serenity befitting of Matt Berninger's calm baritone delivery. That's not to say that the group's penchant for big musical moments has dissipated entirely, as tracks like "Terrible Love" and "Afraid of Everyone" deliver those in spades. However, more subdued cuts such as "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and "Runaway" come away as being the most memorable—perfect showcases for the kind of refined instrumentation the band has become known for. Growing up—hard as it may be—has never sounded this good.

One Of Us - Pomegranates
A couple of minutes into the opening title-track of this record, it becomes abundantly clear that Pomegranates have struck upon a sound that is uniquely their own. It's a moment they've been building towards ever since the reverb-drenched strains of their 2008 debut, but on One of Us, it all solidifies into something undeniably magnificent. Shifting from the psychedelic stomp of songs like "50's" and "Prouncer" to the subdued ambiance of "White Fawn" and "Venus," the group strikes a balance between energetic release and calculated poise. In between the space-y atmospherics are songs that transcend their trappings and a band reveling in a strain of pop-rock that sounds like no one else.

White Noise Bed - Santah
I forget exactly how I felt when I discovered the awful truth about Santa, but I'll never forget how I felt upon first hearing the excellent debut release from a band called Santah. The young group of players turn in a record that sounds wise beyond their years—a brilliantly cohesive folk-rock statement rife with moments of sheer musical bliss. It would be tempting to say that it's all the brainchild of frontman Stanton McConnell, but the growling organ care of Tommy Trafton and firmly anchored bass lines of Otto Giovanni betray this as an intensely collaborative undertaking. It's a record that ebbs and flows but never dips in quality, making for some of the year's most enthralling listening.

Happy New Year!

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2010 (Part II)

2010-12-20T21:05:00.002-06:00

Not content to merely list off my favorite records of 2010 and risk overlooking some really great music that didn't quite make the cut, I'm once again running through my favorite tracks of the year. You're about to embark into part two of my 36-song list—if you missed part one, you can find it right here. So, let's wrap this up—here's the second half of my list of my favorite tracks released this year, arranged alphabetically by artist.

Kings Go Forth - "Now We're Gone"
This Milwaukee-based neo-soul band was one of my favorite musical discoveries of 2010, cemented by their killer live show at the Double Door this past summer. Lead singer Black Wolf howls his way through this joyfully forlorn track, backed by a formidably tight horn section. Record store owner and band leader Andy Noble has undoubtedly done his crate-digging homework, arranging one of the most stirring nods to the classic soul sound without a Daptone logo on the spine.
Buy: The Outsiders Are Back

Maps & Atlases - "Living Decorations"
The topography-obsessed group's latest record strips away some of the overtly technical finger-tapping fret-play of their earlier work in favor of a more rootsy, percussion-based sound. "Living Decorations" is the most rousing demonstration of this new direction, replete with ample rapid-fire rhythms and melodies. It's a reminder of the unique musical territory this band occupies—bringing a heaping dose of musicianship to the realm of pop-rock.
Buy: Perch Patchwork

Marco Benevento - "Greenpoint"
Keyboard extraordinaire Marco Benevento showcases all his toys on this track from his latest release, seamlessly shifting from piano to organ to circuit-bent electronics over the course of six minutes. It's not a showy piece, but rather a calculated, atmospheric arrangement—a veritable symphony created by way of fingertips on keys. It can be difficult to take in all at once, but it makes for an immensely rewarding list from an artist clearly testing his own limits.
Buy: Between the Needles and Nightfall

Mimicking Birds - "Pixels"
I'm still not exactly sure if lead singer Nate Lacy is trying to sound exactly like Issac Brock, but if his intention is to provide the antidote to Modest Mouse's current overtly-pop tendencies, he's succeeding. This track in particular evokes the headier, less hook-ridden days of Brock's de facto outfit—that the trio still manages to find a voice of their own is an even greater accomplishment. It'll take some serious effort to come out from under their mentor's shadow, but a song like this proves they just might have the chops to pull it off.
Buy: Mimicking Birds

The Mynabirds - "Numbers Don't Lie"
Over the course of this track—as well as the record from which it originates—frontwoman Laura Burhenn joins the likes of Neko Case and Lætitia Sadier on my list of favorite female vocalists. Beginning with its wavering organ intro, the song quickly settles into a Motown-tinged groove, anchored by a jangling piano and some great back-up singers. To cap it off, production work from the amazing Richard Swift makes it all leap from the tape straight to your ears in the most pleasing way possible.
Buy: What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood

The National - "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
If you ask me, "Bloodbuzz Ohio" is a song about growing up and coming back to its titular state—something I've been doing quite a bit of myself as of late. As usual, Matt Berninger's wonderful baritone is carried on top of the Dessner brothers' atmospheric instrumentation, creating the moody sound for which this group is known. It's a track with an epic tone derived from sweeping moments of grandeur and a relentless sense of purpose.
Buy: High Violet

The Nels Cline Singers - "Red Line to Greenland"
The Singers have always been an outlet for Cline's incessant noodling, and as such, I can forgive the three minutes of effervescent noise that preface this track. When the main riff kicks in, Cline quickly proves why he's one of the best guitarists around, building a shifting post-rock melody with help from his able-bodied rhythm section of Devin Hoff and Scott Amendola. No one can do a six-string freakout quite the way Cline does, and as a showcase of that talent, "Red Line to Greenland" is a rousing success.
Buy: Initiate

Percolator - "Deduction"
Discounting the fact that I'm friends with the good folks of Percolator and even helped with the creation of the music video for this track, my love of this song transcends my association with it. The band's polyrhythmic, math-rock riffage is in full effect here, presided over by an oblique set of lyrics that would make Stephen Malkmus proud. It's something I would be listening to even if I didn't have a personal connection to it—is that high enough praise?
Buy: None of These Are Words

Pomegranates - "Anywhere You Go"
If there's one thing that really brightened the end of my year, it was the Pomegranates' particular brand of psychedelic space-rock, as exemplified on this track. "I like you / I really like you" screams Issac Karns, vocalizing a yearning which permeates this song, informing its ever-shifting dynamics and moods. It's the kind of finessed angst and hopeless romanticism that actually serves a purpose, coalescing in a song that is at once weird and beautiful.
Buy: One of Us

Quasi - "Repulsion"
Between Sam Coomes' gut-punching guitar-line and Janet Weiss' pummeling turn on the skins, fuzzed-out Portland rock and roll from a pair of former lovers doesn't get much better than this. Top that off with one of the best choruses to grace a song this year and you get an album-opening track that doesn't make any effort to hold back out of the gate. Vehemence, thy name is Quasi.
Buy: American Gong

Retribution Gospel Choir - "White Wolf"
You might never suspect it, given Alan Sparhawk's better-known day job as frontman of slowcore superstars Low, but the man can pen one hell of a rocker. Such is the case here, on the pick of the litter from Retribution Gospel Choir's second LP—a track dominated by '80s-style drums, a pulsating banjo line and beefy guitar chords. It's a rollicking good time that is as genuinely enjoyable as it is out of character.
Buy: 2

Santah - "Chips of Paint"
"How am I gonna be normal?" exclaims Stanton McConnell over this track's earnest opening strains—a question answered only by a song that transcends mere normalcy. With it's serpentine guitar leads and an exceptionally harmonious solo, the Illinois quintet create a phenomenally varied sonic composition with palpable emotional heft. Even its subdued last minute makes perfect sense, providing a sensible cool down after three-and-a-half minutes of meticulous intensity.
Buy: White Noise Bed

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - "I Learned the Hard Way"
When a voice with the commanding presence of Sharon Jones' talks to you about love and loss, you listen up. Backed by the indomitable Dap-Kings, Jones' message is all the more powerful, riding atop the big brass sound of one of the most seasoned groups of players around. By the track's end, its abundantly clear that Sharon learned the hard way so we don't have to—she puts the 'soul' in resolution.
Buy: I Learned the Hard Way

Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin - "All Hail Dracula"
Over the summer a colleague of mine proposed that this track was about the record industry's blood-sucking tendencies. Singer Jonathan James shrugged that theory off and said the song was merely based off of a cool-sounding headline he read. That's an indicator of the fun-loving attitude that permeates the group's latest, Chris Walla-helmed effort. SSLYBY don't take themselves too seriously—the perfect attitude for a pop-rock treasure such as this.
Buy: Let It Sway

Stornoway - "Zorbing"
There's something about Brian Briggs' voice and the minimalist arrangement present on this track that evokes the pastoral English landscape that undoubtedly served as inspiration. Fleshed out with rumbling baritone harmonies and a jubilant horn section, "Zorbing" quickly takes on all the trappings of a left-of-center pop hit. It's no small feat for such a young group, but on a record full of similarly wonderful songsmanship, it's almost assuredly not a flash in the pan.
Buy: Beachcomber's Windowsill

Superchunk - "Digging For Something"
As the punk rock riffs and Mac McCaughan's nasally drawl come into sharp focus on this track, it's refreshing to hear just how little Superchunk has changed in the nine years since their last record. Age hasn't slowed down these pop-punksters—they sound as raucous and raw as ever, with years of experience to back it all up. It may have taken a bit of digging, but this track proves that these guys can still muster that magical sound.
Buy: Majesty Shredding

The Walkmen - "Angela Surf City"
It takes about a minute for this track to hit its stride, transitioning abruptly from a cursory ballad to a boisterous rocker. "Life goes on all around you" belts frontman Hamilton Leithauser, propelling this song forward with some of the most powerful pipes in the biz. For a group that have quickly become regarded as elder statesmen of indie rock, the Walkmen firing on all cylinders are still a beautiful sound to behold.
Buy: Libson

White Mystery - "Take A Walk"
The latest project from Alex White (who formerly headed up the Detroit-based Red Orchestra) finds the red-headed guitar-slinger teaming up with her similarly coiffed brother Francis to create heavy-hitting garage rock. On this track, White takes some simple lyrics about walking around Chicago and turns them into a blistering two-and-a-half minute showcase of joyous musical energy.
Buy: White Mystery

Keep an eye out for my Favorite Albums of 2010 list—guaranteed to be up before year's end!

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2010 (Part I)

2010-12-14T16:28:00.005-06:00

Yet again, we find ourselves at the year's end and as I did last year, I find myself blessed with far too much music to fit into a simple 'Favorite Records' list. To remedy this dilemma, and heap some recognition on records that didn't quite make the cut, I'll once again be running through my favorite tracks of the year. This one's going to be a two-parter, so bear with me as we dive into the first half of the year's best tunes, arranged (as usual) alphabetically by artist.

Arcade Fire - "The Suburbs"
The Canadian indie-superstars' latest record still hasn't entirely grown on me, but there's no denying the strength of its title track. Pairing a bouncing piano line with group's requisite string arrangements, Win Butler and company stretch a fairly simple arrangement to its most epic conclusion. Amidst an album chock full of shmaltz, this one hits home the most—and with a beautiful melody to boot.
Buy: The Suburbs

Baths - "Lovely Blood Flow"
Chopping beats is all well and good, but finding a way to layer some vocals on top always manages to impress me. Such is the case with this track from Baths, the latest artist to come from LA's beat scene. Amid the stuttering drum hits and atmospheric static, Will Wiesenfeld's admittedly odd voice joins the fray, bringing a strange sense of union to this offbeat gem.
Buy: Cerulean

Belle and Sebastian - "I Didn't See it Coming"
The first time I listened to this song—the opening track on Belle and Sebastian's latest album—it was like reconnecting with an old friend. Sarah Martin greets you gently, breathily intoning over gently swelling piano chords. By the time Stuart Murdoch joins in, it's as if these Scottish twee-pop giants never left our sides. "Money makes the wheels of the world go round" sings the pair—a fitting chorus for a priceless song.
Buy: Write About Love

The Besnard Lakes - "Albatross"
Shoegaze has been slipping in and out of vogue for years since its heyday in the late '80s and early '90s. Today, few do it better than Canadian post-rockers The Besnard Lakes—a fact which this track exemplifies. All the tropes are there, from the wailing, pitch-bending guitars to the ethereal vocals provided by Olga Goreas. "Things got weird for a bit" she croons, just before a surge of distortion takes hold—a sonic demonstration of the powerful feelings this group expertly harness.
Buy: The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

The Black Keys - "Ohio"
Why this track wasn't included on the group's latest record is beyond me, but releasing it online, free-of-charge certainly doesn't elicit any complaints. The duo's ode to our shared home state is a straightforward, heartfelt song about coming back to the place you love, wherever that may be. Personally, it's my front-runner for replacing the woefully outdated "Hang on Sloopy" as our state rock song.
Buy: Brothers
Download: "Ohio"

Born Ruffians - "What To Say"
For a song about being unsure what to say, Luke LaLonde spouts off a fairly verbose set of lyrics that cleverly tackle the subject at hand. Backed by a stuttering beat and some minimalistic guitar and synth work, the trio effortlessly turn in what is easily one the year's catchiest tracks. I know it's one I found stuck in my head—oftentimes when I should have been planning my next sentence a bit more carefully.
Buy: Say It

Broken Bells - "October"
Every year I find a reason to sing my praises of Danger Mouse, and this year that reason was super-duo Broken Bells. Joined by James Mercer of the Shins, this track finds the pair drowning in a sea of string pads, Rhodes piano and flanged guitars. It's yet another demonstration of Brian Burton's immaculate pop-sensibilities, further heightened by Mercer's seasoned vocal work. Songs like this leave me hoping this will be more than a one-off.
Buy: Broken Bells

Broken Social Scene - "Forced to Love"
I think my favorite thing about this track is how clearly you can hear producer John McEntire's auditory fingerprints. Whether it's subtle synth drones or the relentless, prominent percussion—it's all the sound of one of America's foremost musical minds meeting with the art rock tendencies of this Canadian collective. Even for a song premised upon forced emotions, it's hard to come away from this one feeling anything but unbridled love.
Buy: Forgiveness Rock Record

The Clientele - "Jerry"
It seems as if Alasdair MacLean has been threatening to disband the Clientele for several years now, but it's songs like this one that make me glad he hasn't made good on that threat just yet. "Jerry" finds the group engaging in their usual water-tight arrangements, presided over by Alasdair's reverb-drenched voice. It's when the distortion pedal gets hit and the song's decidedly uncharacteristic bridge starts that things get really interesting. Never a dull moment with these blokes—here's hoping for more.
Buy: Minotaur

Deerhunter - "Revival"
For as long as I've been following his work, Bradford Cox has been a reliable source of dreamy, well-constructed nuggets of pop-rock. "Revival" continues the trend—a short, percussion-heavy number with dollops of fuzzed out bass guitar. It's over before you know it and if you're anything like me, you'll quickly find yourself skipping right back to the beginning (again).
Buy: Halcyon Digest

Dosh - "Call the Kettle"
For his latest record, Martin Dosh dug into his back catalog to refashion a three minute track from his Powder Horn EP into the dazzling five-and-a-half minute showpiece present on Tommy. Dosh lays his usual drums and Rhodes groundwork as saxophonist Mike Lewis twists his accompaniment around the underlying melody in strange and beautiful ways, adding facet upon facet to this instrumental wonder. Chalk this one up as another densely layered success for the Minneapolis loop wizard.
Buy: Tommy

Dr. Dog - "Where Did All the Time Go?"
It's a tall order to write a song that will undoubtedly be used as the soundtrack to a flashback montage in some sort of biopic in a couple of years. Luckily, psychadelic pop-rockers Dr. Dog are more than up to the task, delivering a track that revels in the group's timeless sound while being careful to not overindulge in nostalgia. Bolstered by production that accentuates the group's vocal harmonies and instrumentation, the Philly quintet make this little song sound appropriately gigantic.
Buy: Shame, Shame

Dreamend - "Magnesium Light"
The twangy weirdo-folk of Graveface Records owner and Black Moth Super Rainbow guitarist Ryan Graveface can admittedly be a tough pill to swallow. However on this dreamy, banjo-driven track, you can almost hear some of that initially off-putting strangeness melting away. Even as the noisier elements kick in part way through, there's an earnestness that makes this song (and the album its culled from) extremely listenable.
Buy: So I Ate Myself, Bite By Bite

Dungen - "Skit I Allt"
It's nice to know that somewhere in the cold expanses of Sweden, there's a group of guys celebrating the seemingly under-represented sound of '70s British prog. Many of the genre's usual devices are present on this track—from the wafting flute-line reminiscent of Ian Anderson's to guitar riffs that echo the likes of Andrew Latimer and Robert Fripp. Indebted as they may be, Dungen's modern sensibilities mesh with their influences to create a sound you won't hear elsewhere.
Buy: Skit I Allt

Elf Power - "Goldmine in the Sun"
The Elephant Six Collective mainstays' latest self-titled release came with no shortage of succinct indie pop statements—none better than this particular cut. "Goldmine in the Sun" finds the group laying down a wall of chords as Andrew Reiger spins one of his apocalyptic tales over top. The wonderfully simple guitar-work on the ending breakdown caps off a track that isn't so much a return to form as it is a reminder of this band's continuing prowess.
Buy: Elf Power

Girls - "Heartbreaker"
From time to time the buzz surrounding a group is well-deserved—such is the case with Girls, whose delicate, brilliantly-produced pop songs found their way to my ears despite the overwhelming wave of hype heaped upon them. Christopher Owens lyrics on this track get straight to the point, but the refined instrumentation surrounding them bring an authenticity to his bluntness. On an EP resplendent with heartbreak, this one lives up to its name.
Buy: Broken Dreams Club

Jaga Jazzist - "One-Armed Bandit"
Norway's premiere (and only?) nine-piece progressive jazz combo flex their musical muscle on this track, the best of the bunch from their LP of the same name. A constantly-shifting beast of a song, the group establishes a unifying theme and then take every opportunity to move away from it. The icing on the cake is the John McEntire superb mix which distills what could easily have been a mess of notes into a unified instrumental masterpiece.
Buy: One-Armed Bandit

Jonsi - "Tornado"
There were plenty of moments on Jonsi's inaugural solo release that were far removed from his work with Sigur Ros, but I think it's telling that the record's best song doesn't stray far from that group's sound. The simple piano melody, accompanied by a grandiose string arrangement and the otherworldly tones of Jonsi's unmistakable voice make for track with all the power of its titular whirlwind.
Buy: Go

Part II can be viewed here—Favorite Albums of 2010 coming soon!

Album Review: Santah "White Noise Bed"

2010-12-06T11:16:00.003-06:00

I'm of the firm belief that all great records have an equally interesting story behind them—some extraordinary set of circumstances or chain of events that provided the impetus for the specific groupings of lyrics, chords and songs present in the final product. White Noise Bed, the debut album from the Champaign-Urbana-based Santah handily falls into this category, betraying an underlying turmoil deftly disguised by lush arrangements and soaring harmonies. For all his lyrical ambiguity, frontman Stanton McConnell's sordid tales some across with an emotional sophistication that elevate them above the level of angst-ridden dribble. Recorded at Pieholden Suite Studios just after the death of founder Jay Bennett, White Noise Bed oozes with the sound of histories both circumstantial and misconstrued.

Appropriately enough, opening track "Irish Wristwatch" opens in a wash of distorted noise before settling into a steady cadence, fleshed out with picked strings and bolstered by droning strums. It's a disciplined approach which carries over throughout the majority of the record—Santah is not one to showboat. Their particular brand of folk-rock is arranged in a manner which gives an effortless air to what can only be described as a meticulously constructed set of sounds. Nowhere is this more evident than on "No Other Women," with its swelling organ and cascading piano keys, all set over a relentless bass line. A tenor of lamentation is evident from the opening strains, quickly affirmed by McConnell's lyrical acknowledgment of the woman who dug straight to his core.

A bit further on we come to "Chips of Paint," far and away one of my favorite tracks on the record, both as a whole and because of some of the moments it contains—from the twisting guitar part that accents the chorus to the unison guitar solo which builds up to the song's final breakdown. Another choice cut is the comparatively subdued "Merry Ann," which features McConnell's sister Vivian providing some spectacular vocal harmonies. The jangling closing number "Neighbors and Cousins," finds the group in a more playful mood—indulging in a somewhat cheesy spoken word interlude before extolling life's uncertainties with the rousing chorus of "Yeah, I don't know."

If there's one thing that separates this record from the never-ending pack of well-intentioned debuts, it's a sense of cohesion. The entirety of White Noise Bed sounds like a product of intense collaboration and studio craftsmanship—a collection of songs firmly grounded in a common narrative, however nebulous. I still don't know the story behind White Noise Bed and, frankly, it doesn't even matter. Whether it was a break-up, a bad day or just pure happenstance, the results certainly make for beautiful listening.

Download: Santah - "No Other Women"

Santah will be appearing at J-Alan in Dayton, Ohio on December 16 and the MOTR Pub in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 17.

Meet Me in the City

2010-11-05T16:26:00.010-05:00

This year's CMJ put me about three nights behind on sleep and equally as many days behind on things I needed to get done, which is why this post is a bit late. Don't interpret that as a complaint—quite the contrary—buying that last-minute plane ticket was one of the better choices I've made in recent memory. The festival may not be the king-making hub of the independent music scene that it once was, but it's still an amazing opportunity to see a bevy of bands-on-the-rise over a very short period of time. It's also a textbook case in networking opportunities—hence my stash of homemade business cards. Perhaps most importantly, it's a chance to meet up with old friends as well as make some new ones. Oh yeah, and there's plenty of free beer and swag.

I flew in to New York Thursday morning, and given my badge-less status, I decided to head over to AAM's free showcase at Arlene's Grocery on the Lower East Side. I grabbed some of the greasy pizza that was provided and caught a set from a group called Kitten that straddled the line somewhere between being a mediocre Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover band and a bunch of Metric impersonators. Wandering the streets seemed like the better choice, so I did just that, finding my way to the absolutely amazing Toy Tokyo. Before long, it was time to head over to the Medium Rotation mixer, which packed a boatload of college radio kids and promoters into a tiny bar in the East Village. While there, I finally got the chance to meet Graham of A Man A Plan A Canal in the flesh—the guy who helped me bring the Wilco tour documentary to town a few years back and has been an invaluable resource ever since. After a couple of beers, it was off to Brooklyn with Matt and the Terrorbird crew for the CMJ pub crawl—an event that I survived thanks to my choice to abstain from an absinthe cocktail. Making my way back to Manhattan, I ended the night at the Matador/Beggars Group party pounding beers alongside the affable Steve from Team Clermont.

After the alcohol-soaked day that was Thursday, Friday was a day for music and hangover cures. I started out at the Knitting Factory for Distiller's day party and—on the suggestion of my West Coast friend Cora—went across the street for an excellent panini. Back at the Knitting Factory, I first caught a set from Boston's the Hush Now who made a timely debut of their Halloween single "Please Mephistopheles." Next up was a set from S. Carey, whose Midwestern chamber pop has been earning them some well-deserved accolades as of late. The group alternated between delicate string-driven arrangements and raucous bouts of noise, all presided over by beautiful vocals from the Bon Iver drummer—who also named his band after himself. A quick jaunt back to the Lower East Side landed me at the Pirate! day party in time for a set from the Mynabirds. Ever since hearing their debut record What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, lead singer Laura Burhenn has joined Neko Case on my list of favorite female vocalists. She was equally amazing live, turning in literally pitch-perfect renditions of cuts off the aforementioned record—all skillfully requested by the lovely Christine from Pirate.

It was back to Brooklyn—Park Slope to be exact—for the remainder of the evening, where I camped out at a fairly new venue called the Rock Shop for the Nicodemus Agency showcase. The main reason for my attendance was based around the fact that the Pomegranates were playing later in the evening, but I was clairvoyant enough to show up early and catch some of the supporting acts. I walked in just as a group called Santah took the stage and launched into a set of striking folk-rock, bolstered by the impeccable vocal harmonies of siblings Stanton and Vivian McConnell. Later in the evening, I would learn that the band's beautiful self-released debut, White Noise Bed, was recorded at Pieholden Suite Studios, just weeks after the death of owner—and former Wilco-member—Jay Bennett. Not only that, but the aforementioned brother-sister duo hail from Belleville, IL—birthplace of none other than Jeff Tweedy. Next up was a set from Parlour, a prog-rock collective that called to mind the latter day stylings of Tortoise. Hot on the heels of releasing one of my favorite records of the year, Pomegranates delivered a set that perfectly showcased their psychedelia pop sensibilities. From the mesmerizing stomp of "One of Us," to the delicate falsettos of "50's," the Cincinnati quartet's performance solidified itself as one of my favorite moments of the weekend. Following such a spectacular set was an almost unfair position to be put in, but college radio stalwarts +/- admirably rose to the challenge, blazing through a collection of tunes that capped off the night in style.

Saturday was another early morning, as I dutifully trudged back to Brooklyn for the AAM party at the Knitting Factory. I walked in just as Francis and the Lights took the stage—a group I'd been subjected to earlier this summer when they opened the MGMT Lolla aftershow. I can't say that I've found anything to like about the band, although I suppose they're perfect if you're into the type of schlock they play in dentists' waiting rooms. Thankfully, their set was short and my supply of drink tickets managed to distract me until the bubbly Magic Bullets took the stage. Even in my morning stupor, it was hard not to be moved to dancing by the permanently up-tempo pop rock sounds these San Francisco boys created. By the time Ty Segall struck his first chord, I was wide awake and ready to get lost in his unrelenting, noisy waves of garage rock nostalgia. I've been a fan of some of his more recent recorded work, but seeing Segall with his band is where he really shines. At some point during the set, I decided that these guys would have been a far better choice for bringing the music of Sex Bob-omb to life than Beck. As the crowds grew thicker, I decided it was high time to run down the street to Barcade for the Team Clermont day party. There weren't any bands playing, just a bunch of free beer and one of the nicest collections of '80s arcade cabinets I've ever laid eyes upon. I managed to get in a few games of Smash TV, Tapper, Donkey Kong and Rampage before heading back to Manhattan.

The majority of my last evening of CMJ was spent at Pianos, where the Big Ugly Yellow Couch acoustic showcase was taking place. First up was Santah, whose subdued finger-picked renditions gave plenty of room for those beautiful vocal harmonies to shine. Their performance solidified them as my favorite new discovery of CMJ—a truly talented group of young musicians with an enthusiasm befitting of the soaring melodies they create. I expect they'll be on bigger stages in front of much larger crowds by this time next year. Brooklyn's own Dinosaur Feathers were up next, slightly bending the rules of an acoustic performance through their use of a drum-machine. As a fan of their record Fantasy Memorial it was a real treat to get to witness some of that quirky pop-rock goodness in person. Last on the docket was Young the Giant, who overcame a bout of technical difficulties and turned in a short set culled from their recently released self-titled debut. Bolstered by fretwork that echoed Britpop and vocals firmly planted in the West Coast, their earnest refrains brought a fitting close to my time at CMJ.

After the requisite final meet-up with all my CMJ cohorts at Lakeside Lounge, I got my last two hours of sleep for the weekend before boarding a plane back to Ohio. Weeks later, I'm still convinced it was worth it.

The Subway is a Porno

2010-10-21T00:04:00.004-05:00

Today I'm headed to New York City for the CMJ Music Marathon—the annual college radio-fueled orgy of concerts, swag and free booze. It was somewhat of a last minute decision, but I managed to find a friend of a friend (and fellow OU grad) to stay with, and the rest of my plans just fell into place from there. As a music director, it's a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with some of the folks I talk to on a weekly basis. As a fan of music, it's a chance to see a ton of bands in a very short span of time. I'm going without a badge because from what I understand the CMJ badge doesn't really mean very much anymore—everything I'm going to is either free or by invitation, no badge required. In fact, I think the majority of the shows happening this week are unaffiliated with CMJ—Pitchfork is even throwing their own mini-festival, essentially capitalizing off the fact that there are both a ton of bands and music fans in town.

I'm really looking forward to catching sets from the likes of Pomegranates, the Mynabirds, Ty Segall, Cotton Jones and Devotchka, as well as taking in some of the sights that I didn't quite get around to on my last trip to the city. I'll be doing my best to document as much of my week as I can and post some photos and impressions on here in a timely fashion. No promises, but I think it would be nice to share. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd actually like to get some sleep before Brooklyn.

Album Review: Bonnie "Prince" Billy + The Black Swans "Sing Larry Jon Wilson"

2010-10-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

The dead wax on the A-side of this 7-inch is inscribed with the words "flaunting obscurity"—an appropriate statement considering the reputation of its subject. Larry Jon Wilson was a country musician who released four well-received records during the latter half of the 1970's, before leaving the music industry as abruptly as he appeared. Years later, the Black Swans' Jerry DeCicca convinced Wilson to record again, resulting in 2009's eponymous Drag City release. After suffering a stroke, Wilson passed away this past June at the age of 69. On Sing Larry Jon Wilson, Will Oldham and the Black Swans pay tribute to the little-known legend with two covers that explore distinctively different pieces of his legacy.

Oldham begins his contribution of "Bertrand My Son" with a spoken-word intro that frames the track while evoking Wilson's original recording. The titular son was Larry Jon's, a boy born with a debilitating condition that robbed him of his legs at an early age. It's the kind of background information that only makes Oldham's delicate take on the song all the more heart-wrenching. His voice accompanied by the airy strains of frequent collaborator Cheyenne Mize, "Prince" Billy makes his way through the track backed only by a wailing fiddle and finger-picked guitar. It's clear why this song was chosen, with its haunting imagery and comparisons of blessing, miracles and love to fruits on trees—deceptively simple symbolism that in lesser hands might ring of amateurism. Oldham shoulders the track with the same solemn grace of its progenitor and a reverence that bleeds through with every syllable.

On "The Man I Wish For You," the Black Swans task themselves with bringing to life an unreleased track that Jerry DeCicca found on one of Wilson's old demo reels. It's instantly identifiable as a Larry Jon song—an at times self-depreciating ode to a lover that betrays a yearning to be a more idealistic man. In the hands of DeCicca and his band, it's transformed into a loving tribute that casts Wilson as exactly the sort of man he insisted he wasn't. With an almost dirge-like quality, the Black Swans make their way through this forgotten gem, putting it to tape in a way that deftly avoids slavish imitation in favor of unabashed appreciation. DeCicca sounds entirely natural as the conduit for Wilson's unheard words, a right he's unquestionably earned as one of the people who coaxed the legend into recording one last time. As the Black Swans trail off, you may notice another message hidden in the dead wax on the B-side of this record—one that this release all but ensures—"Long Live LJW."

Sing Larry Jon Wilson is available via Drag City Records

The Long Goodbye

2010-09-17T13:00:00.002-05:00

It's been about two weeks since my summer residence in Chicago stopped and my Ohio-based life began anew. I'm still not entirely at ease with being back, there are a ton of things about the city that I continue to miss. But there's no use in moping—I had one of the best experiences of my life and learned quite a bit about what I might want to do with myself after this whole education of mine comes to its logical conclusion. Having what amounted to an all-access pass to just about any concert or event I felt like attending certainly didn't hurt either. I wanted to do a short wrap-up of my last few weeks in Chicago—which is exactly what I'm about to do.

Towards the end of August I got the chance to catch one more White Mystery show at Lincoln Hall—hands-down my favorite place to see bands in Chicago. Their set stuck pretty close to what I'd seen a bit earlier in the summer, but the unabated garage-band energy these two put forth makes it work, even on repeat viewings. Honestly, it's just awesome to see Alex White up on-stage yelling into a mic and trashing at that beautiful Rickenbacker guitar. They're doing a ton of shows around Chicago in the coming months, if you're in the area you have no excuse not to see them.

I also had the chance to make it over to Schubas—although sadly I arrived too late for one last bowl of their glorious mac and cheese—to see Lou Barlow and Wye Oak. The latter are a band who's music I'm totally familiar with, but whom I was somewhat surprised to discover to be a duo. They always struck me as at least a trio, but I suppose that's just a testament to how full they can sound thanks to one of them pulling double duty on drums and keyboard. The raw, almost alt-country sound served as an admirable lead-in to Lou Barlow's eclectic set which transitions between delicate acoustic ballads and loud, straight-ahead rock. It was pretty cool seeing the Dinosaur Jr. bassist in action with the Missingmen, turning in tracks from their Sentridoh III EP. For pictures and further thoughts, kindly direct your gaze to the post I wrote for the TOC blog.

During my last week of Chicago residency, I finally made a trip to famous Superdawg drive-in, a hot dog joint so iconic that it served as the backdrop for a particularly awesome Wilco photoshoot. While I can't say it was one of my favorite hot dogs—that honor still, and will likely forever, belong to Hot Doug's—it was pretty damn good. More than anything, it's really kind of amazing that a place like this still exists but I'm sure we have many Food Channel specials and its great local reputation to thank for that.

Throughout my last week at Time Out I was one of the only interns left, so I was assigned the (at times, arduous) task of taking photos for a feature in the magazine that mapped out walking tours based around locations shown in movies. It turned out to be a pretty good way to spend some of my last days in the city—seeing some sights I was already familiar with and making my way to some new corners of town. I walked through the High Fidelity tour of Wicker Park, took a jaunt through the sports-centric locations in Wrigleyville and completed an extremely long romantic comedy-themed journey down the Gold Coast. All in a day's work for this intrepid pseudo-photographer.

My last day at the office, a couple of the guys from Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin came in and did an in-office performance which you can see over on the TOC blog. They were nice enough to invite me to their show later in the evening, so I ended up getting one more chance to see a show at Lincoln Hall before hitting the road. I caught a set from co-headliner Telekinesis, a band that seems to have matured quite a bit since their Merge records debut. SSLYBY's set was the highlight of the night, heavy on tracks from their brand new record Let It Sway. I can't say I've ever kept track of this band in the past, but I'll definitely being keeping my eye on them in the future—years on the road have molded this group into an extremely tight and fun live act. After a few Schlitz and some words with the SSLYBY boys, I bid Lincoln Hall goodbye (for the time-being).

My last night in Chicago was—oddly enough—spent with a bunch of folks from Athens who were in town visiting friends. It got me pretty excited about getting back home, so I guess it was somewhat opportune. Regardless, I miss all the great folks I met, and all the places I became accustomed to hanging out at. If nothing else, this summer solidified my resolve that Chicago is definitely the place where I can see myself ending up. I'm extremely grateful that things panned out the way they did—Marvel, I think you actually did me a favor by rejecting me (water under the bridge, I'll still read your comics). But, like I said, there's no use in moping about it, I've got some great memories, and I'll be back soon enough.

And it's That Time

2010-08-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

It's just about that time folks. I'm winding down my stay here in Chicago, and in a little less than two weeks I'll be heading back to my little academic corner of the Midwest. As usual, I've been keeping myself busy and making these last few weeks count. 'How?' you might ask—but probably don't. Like it or not, I'm about to tell you.

The week before last I went to the midnight screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World at the theater down the road. I really enjoyed the movie, despite how much of the story was exorcised in order to fit into a two hour run-time. It captured the feel of the books pretty well, the music was spot-on and the editing and sound cues were transcendent. Nothing can top the books, but the film is an admirable distillation of what makes them so fun and unique.

The next night I made my first trip to the Metro to see Boris and Russian Circles. The latter opened the night with 45 minutes of uninterrupted heavy instrumentals, creating a huge sound that defied the mere three people on-stage. Boris' set was equally impressive, finding the band weaving through their expansive back catalog and delivering beefed-up versions of tracks I was both familiar and unfamiliar with. I did a review of the show for the TOC blog, and you can see some more of my photos there as well.

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of helping out on a video-shoot for my friend's band Percolator. We filmed for about half a day in the backroom of an insanely cool video rental store called Odd Obsession. They had a huge stack of pre-millennial VHS porn laying around back there, so naturally we arranged it around the band, incorporating it into the video. I've seen the final cut, and it turned out beautifully, thanks largely to the work of the incomparable Brian Wiebe. The band is going to be premiering it on their website next week, and I'll be doing a piece on the TOC blog about it, so keep your eyes out.

Last Tuesday, I had the extremely strange experience of seeing a band from my adopted hometown of Athens here in Chicago. Ambient-drone-experimental duo Weedghost were on a short Midwest tour and stopped through Logan Square to do an extremely intimate set in the Wiebe living room. These guys opened for Man Man at the Nelsonville Music Festival this past year, and I've seen them in various venues around town throughout my three years as a student, but never did I think I would be witnessing them in a Chicago living room. I really enjoyed their sets—both of them—and I look forward to another year of Weedghost in Athens.

This past weekend, my good friend Aaron made another trip from Ohio to join me at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con. I did some photography and light coverage of the event for Time Out, but mainly I was just there to nab some good deals and see what it was like to go to such a big Con. Wizard World is an odd beast; it's not really a comic book convention—although that is definitely the main ware being sold—as much as it's a pop culture celebration. There wasn't much in the way of comic book-related guests, but there were plenty of TV and movie stars, including William Shatner, Patrick Stewart and Jake Lloyd. Oh, and former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich also showed up for pictures and autographs. I had a pretty good time taking in the cool costumes and thumbing through discounted trades and back-issues, but I missed the panels and actual comic talent that come with some of the larger Cons. I think I may be making my way back to Chicago for C2E2 this coming Spring to get my fix...

This will likely be my penultimate post before leaving this neck of the woods for a while. In the meantime, I'm planning on seeing Lou Barlow, White Mystery and Telekinesis before head back east. Bring your tissues next time, things could get a little heavy.

Graveface holds raffle to recoup flood damage

2010-08-18T19:33:00.006-05:00

I live right down the street from Graveface Records, an independent label run out of Logan Square that has released albums from acts like Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Appleseed Cast and Hospital Ships. Last month when severe storms hit Chicago, Graveface headquarters flooded and most of their stock was destroyed. Thanks to an insurance loophole, none of the lost product is covered, which means no compensation for anything that was destroyed or damaged. I think most people would just give up, but the guy who runs Graveface is digging in and looking to the fan community to help keep the label alive.

Donations are being collected in the form of a multi-tiered raffle which offers the chance to win increasingly awesome prizes, the more money you decide to give. Everyone who donates at least $10 gets an instant download of rare/unreleased Graveface Records tracks, including the instrumental version of Black Moth Super Rainbow's Eating Us. Higher donation levels enter you in raffles to win album test printings, rare posters, instruments, props and—oddly enough— a cup of Xiu Xiu frontman Jamie Stewart's urine. Those who donate $25 or more get at least one random Graveface release as a thank you gift, in addition to entry in the corresponding raffle. Check out the full details over on the donation page.

It's certainly a nice way of rewarding fans for supporting the continued existence of this label, and an opportunity that you shouldn't pass up. I'll be putting my name in the running for that aforementioned cup of urine, although I kind of hope I end up with something a little bit more practical. If you've ever enjoyed a Graveface release, or just consider yourself a fan of innovative, original music, please consider making a donation over on the label's website.

Live Review: Sunday @ Lollapalooza 2010

2010-08-13T16:22:00.003-05:00

Sunday morning rain-showers have been a reoccurring event at the festivals I've gone to this summer, so it was appropriate that Lollapalooza followed suit. Sure, things were a bit muddy for the remainder of the day, but there was a paved surface on which to traverse the grounds this year, so it wasn't that big of a deal. I only heard a few complaints from people who had managed to ruin their brand new white shoes.

I made it over to the festival a little late, but I did manage to arrive in just enough time to see the Dodos over on the north side of the festival. Even though the sky was still pretty gray, they drew a respectable-sized crowd. I actually wasn't aware that they were a trio, their albums have always sounded much fuller to me, but I suppose that's just the studio magic at work. One of the guys in the band only played vibes, which is an instrument I love seeing and hearing on stage. A few songs in, the band brought out Neko Case to do guest vocals on a few tracks. As usual, she sounded really, really great. I had to run away to take care of some intern business, but I was glad I got to partake in a few songs.

Blitzen Trapper are a band I saw for my first time last summer in Chicago, and were a total delight to see again. They're latest record, Destroyer of the Void, has really grown on me over the past few weeks, so it was a treat to see them play some of those songs, especially the sprawling title track as well as "Love and Hate". I think I might try to catch them again when they come through Columbus this fall for a show at the Wex, I feel like they're probably even better when removed from the festival setting.

For a good part of the afternoon, I caught bits and pieces of bands all around the festival. I saw a few songs from Mumford & Sons, who have this army of super-fans that I still don't quite understand. I also listened to a good majority of the X Japan set on the south side's main stage—their first American performance. It was as over the top and bombastic as one would expect, with a choral introduction leading into a set of throw-back glam rock delivered by a group of Japanese guys that looked like they'd stepped straight out of the 80s. Oh, and they also had cannons onstage. Additionally, I saw a bit of Frightened Rabbit delivering an epic set of their own over on a side-stage. The only tracks I recognized were "Swim Until You Can't See Land" and "Living in Colour," but the sizable crowd ate up the rest of their stadium-ready anthems. I'd be just fine with these guys stepping in to replace U2 in a couple of years.

There were many things I loved about the National's show at Lolla. They opened with the subdued "Runaway" after the high-energy romp of MGMT's preceding set. They dedicated "Bloodbuzz Ohio" to all in attendance from the titular state. They generally proved—once again—that they're capable of commanding the attention of a festival crowd, even if they are a bit understated and moody much of the time. Like I said, they were great. But I was a little dissapointed with how predictable their festival set was. The National's headlining set at Pitchfork last year was without a doubt one of my favorite moments of that festival. For much of their Lolla set, I kept being reminded of that night, especially when Berninger jumped out into the crowd during "Mr. November." I guess he does that frequently, so maybe it's not that big a of a deal. I also realize it behooves them to play their 'hits' to a festival crowd. Maybe it's the fact that I've really gotten into their back catalog as of late, but I really missed some of those older songs. I'm probably contradicting myself by now—I think anyone who was there who hadn't seen them before got an extremely great show, and curmudgeons like myself at least got to hear some of the High Violet stuff for the first time.

As for Arcade Fire? Well, they put on an Arcade Fire show in Grant Park. I don't mean to sound totally indifferent, but I guess I kind of was. I've seen Arcade Fire in one of the most epic settings as well as on tour, and while I dig their new record, it's pretty standard stuff for this group, and the live renditions of the newer material weren't exactly anything to write home about (although they make perfect blog fodder). Was it cool to see the assembled crowd yell the melody line to "Wake Up?" Sure it was. Was it the highlight of the weekend for me? Not in the least. But if David Bowie had showed up, maybe I'd be singing a different tune (curse you Bowie!)

Live Review: Saturday @ Lollapalooza 2010

2010-08-12T21:03:00.001-05:00

I've decided to split my review of Lollapalooza into parts, mainly because of the epic post-length that would have resulted had I not (and no one wants to read something that daunting). I think you'll enjoy my ramblings and recollections much more thoroughly in smaller, more succinct doses. If not, feel free to start from Friday's review and work your way through all three in one marathon sitting (or choose your own adventure and mix and match—there are no rules!)

Saturday morning started off with a set from Mimicking Birds, who got the dreaded inaugural slot of the day and the small crowd of groggy attendees that comes with it. I was reminded of last year's performance by Low Anthem, who played the exact same stage at the exact same time. Thankfully, the band's spirits didn't seem to be dampened and they profoundly thanked all in attendance before launching into a set culled predominantly from their debut self-titled release. I still can't get over how much lead singer Nate Lacy sounds like Issac Brock—who produced and released Mimicking Birds first record on his Glacial Pace imprint. Even the band's songs sound a bit like old Modest Mouse tracks, which is nice seeing as Brock's current output shies away from his former sound. "Burning Stars" and an encore performance of "Pixels" were the sets shining moments, providing a subdued start to another full day of music.

Next I caught the majority of Rogue Wave's set, a band that—to be honest—I've never really gotten into. Even so, I definitely prefer their older records to their latest, Permalight, which tries really hard to change up the group's formula with the addition of some electronic flourishes, but ends up failing miserably. Unfortunately for me, much of the set was drawn from that album. We did get the obligatory rendition of "Lake Michigan," a song which must have been in a car commercial at some point, because whenever I hear it I picture a minivan driving down a winding road. Then again, maybe I'm just crazy.

While I was in the press area later that afternoon I was subjected to a good part of Blues Traveler's set. They opened with "Runaround." I don't even know why they were invited to play Lollapalooza—I'm pretty sure they lost all cultural relevance many, many years ago. And there's really only so much you can take of those constant harmonica solos. Oh, and to cap it all off, they did a god-awful cover of Radiohead's "Creep." On the plus side, Ice Cream Man was backstage handing out his usual selection of free, frozen treats.

When I descended back into the festival, I made my way over to Gogol Bordello's set for a little taste of his high energy gypsy punk. I can't say I'm a big listener of his records, but his live shows are in a category all of their own. People get really into the whole vibe of it, meaning plenty of crowd surfing and moshing. And where else do you get to see a guy seriously rock out on an accordion?

I made my way across the fest (next year I suggest installing moving walkways) to catch the last half of Grizzly Bear's set. They sounded alright, but I really think they're a far better band to see indoors. Their music really needs a space to reverberate in and bounce off of for the full effect. That being said, I did really enjoy the version of "While You Wait For the Others" that they played. After they were finished, I turned around 180 degrees to see a little bit of Metric's performance. They opened with their Scott Pilgrim vs. The World track "Black Sheep," so for a couple of minutes I got to pretended I was at a Clash at Demonhead show—it was awesome.

I actually had quite a bit of work to do the rest of the day, although I did step out into the crowd for about 20 minutes of Green Day's set. Those 20 minutes were pretty enjoyable, but then reality set in and I realized I was at a modern Green Day show. To their credit, I think they played every song worth hearing, although they did have a two hour and 15 minute set to fill. They had a little kid do a stage dive over a 15 foot photographer's pit—that was pretty great. I'm sure my middle-school self would have loved to have stayed for the entire show, but the Zach of the Present was more interested in getting over to Phoenix.

How did the Frenchmen fare? Pretty damn well, judging by both the audience's reaction and the grin on my face. Most people (myself included) only got into Phoenix thanks to their breakout record Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, so it stood to reason that their set was mainly derived from that album. I particularly enjoyed the combo of "Countdown" and "Rome" towards the end of their main set. When the band came back out on-stage, they launched into a short cover of Air's "Playground Love," before delivering the night's final blow. When the opening strains of "1901" started playing, the crowd erupted. I witness two people climbing the scaffolding on the sound booth in front of me, one of them waving a French flag. The lighting for the song replicated some of that weird interlaced scanning-lines stuff from their cool music video. I know for sure that this song was in a car commercial. I don't even care if that's why everyone recognized it, it was still a damn good way for these guys to end the night.

Live Review: Friday @ Lollapalooza 2010

2010-08-11T22:54:00.003-05:00

So, I survived the three-day ordeal that is Lollapalooza, managing to see a whole bunch of music, meet up with folks and fulfill my intern duties. I had a way better time than I expected to have, partially because the organizers at this festival make things pretty cushy for members of the press. We got put in a shady, fenced-off area that overlooked the main stage on the south side of the grounds, complete with plenty of gratis food and drink. Compared to the stuffy little tent crammed into a corner that Pitchfork supplied, this place was heavenly.

My Friday started out with a brush with Ohio rock-royalty: our first interview of the day was with the legendary Devo. Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh (Bob 1) and Bob Casale (Bob 2) sat down with my fearless leader John Dugan for a really insightful conversation on the origins of the group and their continued relevance almost 40 years later. As you can see, Mark did more of the talking for the group, proving himself to be both eloquent and brutally self-aware. I don't count myself as a huge Devo fan, but as a fellow Ohio-native with musical aspirations and someone who is at the very least familiar with their catalog, it was a humbling experience.

The rest of my day went a little like this: I caught a set from garage-rock quartet the Ettes, who did a fine job of translating their crunchy, bluesy tunes into a gripping live show, complete with some great vocal work from front-woman Lindsay “Coco” Hames. On my way back through the grounds, I managed to see about half of the Walkmen's set, which was extremely impressive. They debuted a good amount of material from their upcoming record Libson, which I've heard and can vouch for as being my favorite thing they've done to date. We did an interview with them a little later in the day and it was really interesting to hear how much material they recorded before culling it down to the tracks that ultimately made the record. I also caught up with Pat Carney backstage who assured me that his Audio Eagle Records imprint wasn't dead, but merely on hiatus. Royal Bangs, the label's most successful group, is on the verge of signing a deal with a bigger indie label, so Carney made it sound like his next step will to be bring some new talent to Audio Eagle (I'm still pulling for the next Brainbow record to come out via the label).

On my next run through the park, I caught a little bit of Peanut Butter Wolf's DJ set as I walked by the all-day rave that is Perry's stage. Appropriately enough, he was spinning Madvillians's "All Caps" before quickly segueing into some J Dilla. Unfortunately, I had to hurry off to cover Cymbals Eat Guitars for TOC, a set in which the group debuted a fair amount of newer material while still hitting all the highlights from their debut LP Why There Are Mountains. As much fun as the morning was, the day really got started as I got into position for The New Pornographers—a band I've seen before, but not with Dan Bejar in tow, as was the case on this particular occasion. I couldn't have asked for a better set, just two songs in they played "Myriad Harbor," one of my favorite Bejar-voiced tunes. Neko Case, decked out in a sun-hat, was an imposing vocal presence as usual, turning in a pitch-perfect version of "Challengers" that sent shivers down my spine (she was the one person I was extremely disappointed I didn't get the chance to meet). The handful of songs that they played from their latest record—"Moves," "Crash Years," "Your Hands (Together)"—also sounded great, but honestly, it was nice to hear such a varied set.

The Black Keys erected a gigantic banner for their set on the north side's main stage, depicting two clasped hands framed by a tire—reminiscent of the gigantic inflatable tire I saw them employ at a festival a couple of years back. The duo started out with some back catalog tracks—"Thickfreakness," "Girl is on My Mind," "Stack Shot Billy"—before bringing a bassist and keyboardist on-stage to delve into some track of their latest LP Brothers. Black Keys purists, say what you will, the expanded line-up lets these guys do so much more and really helps drive home tunes like "Everlasting Light" and "Next Girl." I didn't get to catch their entire set, but I left thoroughly impressed.

Over on the other side of the festival—recall that the press area over-looks the south side's main stage—everyone was getting into a tizzy about Lady Gaga's headlining set. The stage was covered in a gigantic black curtain, which eventually dropped away to reveal a translucent screen, on which—surprise, surprise—Lady Gaga's silhouette was projected on. The screams that went through the crowd were piercing... people were really eating this stuff up. I have no idea what songs were played, but the first 15 minutes or so of the set seemed like pretty standard pop-fare, with intermittent, extremely cheesy attempts at adding a 'narrative' to the proceedings. As the set wore on, Gaga kept stopping between songs to complain about how the kids made fun of her at school, and how no one ever thought she would be headlining Lollapalooza. I'm sure she could afford a great therapist—the ego-trip was just far to much to handle, so I made my way north for the Strokes. (If you would have told me six months ago that I'd halfheartedly write a Lady Gaga review this summer, I would have told you to get out of town)

What can I say about the Strokes? It was pretty cool to see them live, but they were exactly what I expected they'd be—which isn't a bad thing. They sounded great, and they played the songs that everyone came to hear, it was a crowd-pleasing set. Casablancas is still enthralling to listen to as he casually snarls his way through songs like "Reptillia" and "Last Nite." The group wasn't particularly animated, but they had some excellent visuals in back of them, including a really awesome videogame montage (Pong, Tetris, Pac-Man, Space Invaders) during "Juicebox." My favorite track of the evening was the set-closer "Take It or Leave It," which was a not-so-subtle retort to whatever criticism they may get for reuniting to play a few festivals. They're still the Strokes, so I'll take it.

Fun World

2010-08-02T17:10:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, this past weekend my good friend Danny Clay (that picture is probably his next album cover) made his way over to Chicago to visit my summer digs. We've got some pretty similar tastes in both music and food (maybe that's why we're friends?), so it was easy to spend a weekend catering to those commonalities at some of my favorite places around the city. Good times ensued.

On Wednesday we started out the day with a trip to Michigan Avenue's original Billy Goat Tavern for a couple of double cheezborgers, then made the short jaunt over to Jazz Record Mart to survey their wares. For the evening's entertainment, we journeyed over to the Hideout for another edition of the ever-reliable Immediate Sound series. This particular night featured local free-jazz super-group The Engines, made up of trombonist Jeb Bishop (he played on Eureka), saxophonist Dave Rempis, Nate McBride on bass and Tim Daisy of drums. The group delivered two really solid sets of largely improvised music, showcasing a group dynamic that seemed at once spontaneous and oddly controlled.

Thursday evening we made our way to Pritzker Pavilion for the kick-off of the Made in Chicago jazz concert series. An augmented line-up of local post-rockers Tortoise headlined the show, debuting an original composition commissioned for the occasion with the help of several Chicago improv-scene heavyweights. Tortoise acted as little more than a backing band, giving their guests plenty of room to create as they saw fit. Without a doubt, the night's highlights were Nicole Mitchell's piercing flute solo (that one drove away a good number of people) and Fred Lomberg-Holm's distorted cello refrain. As usual, the sound in Pritzker was beautiful, conveying the full range of the on-stage assemblage. The only thing that could have made the night better would have been a little vibraphone action from McEntire and Herndon. Maybe next time?

Friday began with an early morning trip to Hot Doug's, a necessity not only because Dan needed to experience some of the best hot dogs in Chicago, but also because Doug is closing up shop for the next few weeks for some well-deserved vacation time. I also made a point of taking Dan over to the Whistler to see one of Leroy Bach's solo acoustic sets, a weekly occurrence that never fails to entertain. Later in the evening, we found ourselves at Schubas for the Reds and Blue CD release show with Hollows. I was particularly impressed with Reds and Blue, which featured Time Out Chicago Music associate editor Areif Sless-Kitain on drums (do interns have to give full disclosure? Too late). Their keyboard-driven prog-rock was a nice change of pace after a couple of days of wall-to-wall jazz.

On Saturday we found our way over to Wicker Park fest, catching sets from Gaslamp Killer, Holy Fuck and Mission of Burma. The place was packed, I don't think I've been to a street fest this summer that has had the draw that this one did. I guess they're doing something right. Burma was definitely the night's high-point, finding the group in fine form and running through a nice mix of material, both old and new (while name-dropping the nearby Myopic Books).

Yesterday we wrapped things up by catching Chicago Stone Lightning Band (featuring my TOC boss, John Dugan, on the drums) at the hokey biker/guitar bar Faith & Whiskey. The day's cuisine included stops at the Fullerton Diner (for brunch), Portillo's (for Itallian beef, naturally), Revolution Brewing (for the microbrews) and the Boiler Room (for some late night pizza, beer and Jameson).

What's next? This coming weekend is Lollapalooza, which I expect to be every bit as busy and tiring as Pitchfork was (perhaps even more so, Grant Park is so big...). Currently, I'm resting up and looking forward to catching sets from the Black Keys, the New Pornographers, the National, the Strokes and Deer Tick. If you're coming out to Chicago for the big fest, make sure you get in touch with me, it'd be nice to see some of you folks!

Behold The Man

2010-07-27T23:41:00.012-05:00

This past week started out with a BANG at the Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour release party at Challengers Comics in Bucktown. I mingled with the costumed attendees (I like to think my plaid attire and scruffy facial hair was a respectable attempt at a Stephen Stills get-up) and sipped on a soda that gave +1 to Will. At midnight, the books went on sale and I nabbed a copy and headed home to read. I have to say, O'Malley really outdid himself with this one. The ending was pretty perfect; so much so that I hear Edgar Wright re-shot the ending of the upcoming movie to match it. It's sad that it's over, but it's nice that it went out on such a high note. The launch at Challengers got covered by Bleeding Cool (check out my shoulder in the fourth pic down!) and the TOC blog (and I didn't even have to write it!)

Over the weekend I braved the flood waters (we got something like 7 inches of rain here in Chicago) and ventured out to Pullman to check out the Backyard Film and Music Festival. I think the weather scared quite a few people off, as the whole event wasn't nearly as well attended as it should have been. Dosh was the reason I showed up, and he did not disappoint. This was actually the first time I've seen him perform completely solo, and the experience was quite different. He strayed away from much of his newer material (most of which relies heavily on the talented Mike Lewis) in favor of older tracks such as "Steve the Cat" and "The Lost Take." Much of the set was made up of tracks that I didn't entirely recognize, including one really interesting song that featured a very cool choral loop. It seemed off the cuff, although I suppose these might be new tracks that Dosh is still fiddling with, seeing as this appearance was a one-off gig. Regardless, it was a real treat to see him for my third time this year (with a fourth on the way... he's touring with Baths this fall and they're hitting Cleveland and Cinci). Oh, you can check out more pictures and thoughts in my TOC blog post.

The following day I made my way down the road I live on for the aptly named Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival. I checked out some galleries, but the real allure of the event was an appearance by Detholz! in Logan Square. I haven't seen these guys since they opened at the first Wilco show I ever attended, but I've kept tabs on them over the years, and their Who Are The Detholz!? LP is still a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, they didn't play any songs I knew ("Sunburned in the Sun" would have been so appropriate!), but the tracks they did play were pretty great. Once highlight of the set was a tune called "Catherine Zeta Jones" which was an ode to T-Mobile. I was surprised to hear that the band actually started out and is still based in the Logan Square area (I knew I moved here for a reason). It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane, and I only hope that I'll cross paths with a Dethole again sometime soon.

But that's not where the reminders of good-times past ended! Alex White, formerly of Miss Alex White and Her Red Orchestra (a Detroit-based group that opened many a Columbus show in the days of my youth), was also playing the fest as part of a brother-sister duo called White Mystery. They're alot like the White Stripes, except they're actually brother and sister, and the gender-to-instrument roles are reversed. It's the same kind of hard-hitting garage-soul-rock that Miss White has always delivered, and it definitely took me back. They're out on tour right now, so catch them if you can before they come back to Chicago at the end of August to ease the suffering that the prospect of leaving this town is going to inflict upon me.

Well, I've said entirely too much. In just a few hours, my good friend Danny Clay is coming to visit my humble abode for a few days. We're going to be seeing Tortoise at Millennium Park on Thursday and checking out the madness of Wicker Park fest this weekend. Oh, and I'm going to use his visit as an excuse to visit Hot Doug's one more time before Doug goes on vacation for the majority of August. Until next time...

Live Review: Pitchfork Music Festival 2010

2010-07-23T17:18:00.005-05:00

So, my Pitchfork Festival experience this year boiled down to music, heat and exhaustion. As I expected, it was a little bit different of an experience attending the festival as a member of the press. For one, I spent a good amount of time posting pictures and reviews in a stuffy press tent that somehow managed to be hotter than the sun-beat festival grounds. On the other hand, I also got to spend some time in an air-conditioned tent called the Heineken Green Room (it had green carpet... I doubt it was environmentally friendly) where I helped conduct live, streaming interviews with bands and artists for Time Out. I also found the time to write a few live reviews which got posted to the TOC blog.

As for the music, I had the chance to see just about every band I wanted to check out at the festival. Broken Social Scene were the highlight of Friday, taking the stage with their usual entourage as well as recent producer John McEntire on percussion. Their set was heavy on material from Forgiveness Rock Record, but they also threw in some classics such as "Stars and Sons" and "Cause=Time." More than anything, it was really nice to see the group back together after years of solo endeavors and side projects.

Saturday was the day I realized that this was the year that the festival had become something more than it had been in years past. It was hard to navigate the grounds, the whole thing was pretty obviously oversold. I certainly don't remember having nearly as much trouble getting around the year prior. Combine that with Pitchfork's unceremonious dropping of Chicago-based Goose Island as their beer sponsor in favor of Heineken as well as some assorted hearsay about general sponsor treatment and it becomes fairly obvious that the formerly small-time fest is getting a bit too big for its britches. I wouldn't be surprised if next year the fest graduates to a much larger venue than Union Park, or if it leaves Chicago altogether. But I digress... my favorite set on Saturday came care of Cincinnati's WHY?, who turned in a wonderful sounding set of their usual folk-tinged hip-hop.

In all honesty, Sunday was the day I was truly looking forward too. It's actually the only day I bought a ticket for although my press pass negated the need for that (it went to a good home, at face value). St. Vincent was the afternoon's initial highlight, especially after my last attempt to see her ended in disappointment thanks to PA woes. The sound on the Connector Stage actually wasn't that great either (guitars were continually muffled on the stage all weekend long), but the PA's did seem to work and Annie Clark and her band played some wonderful renditions of my favorite tracks such as "The Strangers," "Laughing With a Mouthful of Blood" and "Actor Out of Work."

There was little question that the majority of the day was just one big lead-up to the night's main event: Pavement's first appearance in Chicago since reuniting. First though, the group brought out Drag City mainstay Rian Murphy to deliver an introduction that was so dry and witty that pretty much no one caught onto how funny it actually was. Instead, the guy got stuff thrown at him and then got booed off the stage. I'm sure it amused Stephen Malkmus to no end. As for the show itself, the song choices weren't too obscure, but they definitely covered all their bases (although I could have done with more from Wowee Zowee, but that's just me). "Shady Lane," "Spit on a Stranger," "Grounded" and "Conduit For Sale!" were the tracks that I enjoyed hearing most. The only thing that got me down was the way Malkmus essentially looked as if he was going through the motions, with every song punctuated by agitated looks and general impatience directed towards the rest of the band. As much as it pains me to admit this, it made the whole reunion look like little more than a cash grab. The tension that broke the group up is very much still present, but I'm sure the paychecks make it tolerable... at least until the tour wraps up. There's no way we'll see another album from these guys, so seize the chance to see them while you still can. The music is just as sloppy and liberating as ever, and even if it doesn't live up to seeing them in their heyday, I'm glad I got the chance to experience the next best thing. Hell, I'll probably pay to do it again.

Extended Vacation

2010-07-15T22:10:00.002-05:00

I've been stricken with guilt about not keeping this thing as up-to-date as previously planned, but it's been a busy couple of weeks here in Chicago. With the Pitchfork Music Festival quickly approaching, I figured it was time to do a massive update because I don't think I'll be sleeping much this coming weekend, let alone have the time to write a personal blog post.

So where did we leave off? Ah yes, the On Fillmore show at Millennium Park. First off, it was woefully under-attended; you'd think 'the guys from Wilco' would entice a few more people to come out, especially in Chicago, but that didn't seem to be the case. I didn't recognize a single piece that the group played, and I have a hunch they just improvised everything. Cline was a pretty brilliant addition to the duo, mainly providing texture to compliment Kotche's and Gray's percussive tendencies. However, the real highlight of the night was when Cline and Kotche took the stage with Huntsville... pure, droning bliss for the select few of us that made it that far into the evening. You can read a bit more about the night and see some far better pictures over on the TOC blog.

Later that week, my good friend Aaron came to visit and we bummed around town and hit a couple of places I've been meaning to go to since arriving in town. I finally made it out to Kuma's Corner, braved a half-hour wait for a table and another half-hour wait for our food, but ultimately got to sink my teeth into one of the best burgers I've ever had: the Pantera. The next day we made a trip over to Chinatown and ended up searching for Gundam model kits and having some so-so Cantonese fare. Later that night I got asked to go review a house/trance show at Soldier Field headlined by a guy called Deadmau5. Not my cup of tea, but I guess the lights were pretty and all that. You can peruse my tepid reactions and see some photos right here.

That same weekend I got to spend my first Fourth of July in Chicago, which involved trekking over to a beach and waiting around for about 15 minutes of pretty impressive fireworks. When I got back to my place in Logan Square, the neighborhood was lit up with all manner of colorful explosions for the better part of the evening. It was a good night to sit out on the porch and take in the sights, never knowing when your next sentence would be punctuated by a nearby blast.

The following Monday I had the chance to check out the Thermals at Millennium Park. Everytime I've seen them, it's been a fun show and this occasion was no exception. They busted out a ton of tracks from their soon-to-be-released new record, and touched upon just about every other song I wanted to hear. To see some very nice pictures, head over here.

This past weekend, my cousin and his wife came to town and we managed to put together a pretty amazing three-day Chicago food tour. We hit the Roscoe Villiage Burger Festival, Great Seas Restaurant, Revolution Brewing, Smoque, Adobo Grill, the Boiler Room and, of course, Hot Doug's. Needless to say I was stuffed the entire weekend... in a good way.

The past week has been extremely busy over at Time Out; we've been putting together our preliminary coverage of the Pitchfork Music Festival as well as preparing for our live webcasts and live-blogging of the event. I can already tell it's going to be a totally different experience attending this festival as a member of the press, but it's a welcome challenge and I think it should end up being equally as fun. I'm looking forward to catching sets from Liars, Broken Social Scene, Modest Mouse, Kurt Vile, WHY?, St. Vincent and Pavement throughout the weekend. If you're at all interested in taking a peek at what I've been working on, you can find the majority of our coverage right here. Be sure to check in over the course of the weekend; I think we're going to have some pretty cool interviews with most of the artists in attendance.

And with that, I bid you adieu until my next post. Expect a bevy of photos from Pitchfork upon my return as well as many thoughts/reviews as I can muster. It'll be a real corker, I promise.

Do the Whirlwind

2010-06-27T21:03:00.004-05:00

This past week started off with a one-two punch of musical goodness. First up: my second favorite artist/band Dosh played a lightly-attended free show at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Joining Martin Dosh on this particular occasion was his regular touring partner, Mike Lewis of Happy Apple, as well as frequent collaborators Jeremy Ylvisaker and JT Bates. The quartet turned in some beautiful renditions of tracks like "Airlift" and "Call the Kettle", all of which sounded pretty great reverberating in the pavilion's cavernous stage. I can't say it was as great of an experience as seeing him for my first time in Cleveland earlier this year, but it was certainly a treat to see him again so soon with a larger group of performers.

Later that day, it was back to Millennium for a performance by collage-rock duo The Books. It was very interesting to hear how some of the newer tracks had evolved since my last time seeing the group early last year. Judging by their sizable draw and the crowd's reaction, I really think their next record is going to find its way into the hands of a lot more people. You can read my review of the show and see a few more of my photos over on the TOC blog.

Wednesday night was almost a wash-out, with some pretty huge storms hitting the city. Luckily, things died down enough for me to make my first journey to the Hideout, one of the venues I've been itching to visit since arriving in town. While there, I took in an evening of bass duo, trio, and quartet performances featuring Devin Hoff of the Nels Cline Singers. I enjoyed it so much that I plan on coming back next Wednesday for a show featuring, among others, the illustrious Fred Lomberg-Holm. For a few more shots and details on the evening, click over here.

On Thursday I headed back to the Double Door to see Sleepy Sun and Mondo Drag. I was pleasantly surprised by the latter; I'd never heard of the group before, but their performance was the night's best. As usual, you can find more photos and thoughts right over here.

Friday found me attending the giant smorgasbord known as Taste of Chicago, where I got try my hand at both food photography and criticism (I like food too much to speak badly of it). Later that evening I took a short walk down the street to the Whistler to catch former Wilco-member Leroy Bach on solo acoustic guitar. These days he's doing finger-picked material very remincent of John Fahey and Jim O'Rourke circa Bad Timing. I got a chance to chat with him after the show, and he suggested an upcoming Cairo Gang concert that I hadn't even heard of; what a nice guy!

Last night I got the full 'press-experience' as myself and another intern were let loose on an event presented by Heineken that featured performances from Matt & Kim and Cold War Kids. It was interesting to say the least; we had to be accompanied by a Heineken rep whenever we were shooting photos and we were given time restrictions when photographing the bands. The event itself was in a refurbished warehouse, decked out with all manner of lights, screens, and projectors. I certainly felt like a real reporter (blogger?) being shuttled around from spot to spot, conducting interviews, and taking tons of pictures. It also didn't hurt that the event included free Chicago-themed food and all the Heineken you could drink. You can take a look at our coverage over here.

Right now I'm eagerly anticipating the On Fillmore's appearance with Nels Cline tomorrow at Millennium Park. Should be a great show; I'm interested to see how they incorporate Cline into the group. More dispatches from Chicagoland as time allows, thanks for reading!

Chicago So Far

2010-06-20T12:24:00.003-05:00

Just over a week into my summer stay here in Chicago and I've already seen some amazing live performances, eaten a boatload of good food, and done enough writing to (almost) make up for my neglect of this blog. I'm living in the Logan Square area, just steps away from the delicious Revolution Brewing and the intriguing Bucket O' Blood Books and Records. I really love the neighborhood, it's far enough removed from the hustle and bustle of downtown, but I can still see the skyline from my window.

My first weekend here, Akron/Family played a show directly down the street from my place as part of the Metronome Celebration street festival. It was a wet and rainy Chicago night, but it didn't seem to dampen the spirits of anyone in attendance. The band played a couple of older tunes, but mostly they used the one-off gig as an opportunity to road-test a number of new songs off their forthcoming record. It was a nice way of getting acclimated to my surroundings, and what's better than having to walk just a couple of blocks home after a show?

My first Monday in town started out with a pilgrimage to the legendary Chicago hot dog joint Hot Doug's, where I waited in line for just over half an hour for the privilege of ordering from Doug himself. And the hot dogs? Absolutely delicious; definitely the best Chicago-style hot dogs I've ever had. I got The Dog with all the fixin's as well as a gamey beef, pork, and garlic sausage called The Marty Allen and a heaping order of cheese fries. While in the area, I also walked by the metal-themed burger joint Kuma's Corner, which I also plan on visiting sometime in the near future.

Monday ended with a free show at Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion, where I got to take in a sets from Toronto's Great Lake Swimmers as well as Afrobeat drumming legend Tony Allen. It was all part of the park's wonderful Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays series, which will be bringing acts like The Books and On Fillmore into the park in the coming weeks.

Tuesday was the start of my internship at Time Out Chicago, where I'm working in the web editorial department. My job involves writing stories and reviews for the Time Out Chicago blog, doing some light coding on the website, and attending events to photograph and review them. On my first day, I got to go out and conduct a short video interview with George Wendt, the actor who played Norm on Cheers. I also got to attend and review my first concert at the beautiful new Lincoln Hall. The headliner was Karen Elson, the wife of Jack White who recently released her debut record; you can read what I thought about her over on the TOC Blog.

My next assignment from Time Out was a dream come true; I got to photograph and review the Autumn Defense at their Lincoln Hall show. The first time I ever laid eyes on anyone from Wilco was during an Autumn Defense in-store at Used Kids Records prior to the 2005 Wilco show at Mershon Auditorium. These guys were my live introduction to all things Wilco, so it was oddly appropriate that they were the first show I got to provide full coverage on for Time Out. The show itself was excellent, they played some old favorites of mine as well as debuting some new material, but you can read more about it here. The biggest thrill so far has been seeing links to my review and photos pop up on the Autumn Defense's and Wilco's Facebook and Twitter feeds; it's an immensely gratifying gesture from a group of people I respect very much.

Friday night I went and photographed an awesome Milwaukee soul outfit call Kings Go Forth at Double Door in Wicker Park, the results of which can be viewed here. Yesterday I took a short jaunt over to the excellent new Saki Records for an in-store from Chicago's own Califone, then headed out to the south side of Chicago to see performances from Tinariwen and Mos Def as part of the Takin' it to the Streets festival in Marquette Park.

This evening I'm headed out to the Taste of Randolph Street festival to catch a reunited Superchunk. As you can likely guess, I'm really enjoying my time here in Chicago. I've already had some amazing opportunities, and I suspect that there are more on the horizon. I'm going to try to keep weekly updates to this blog coming, but if you want to follow my work a little more closely just click over to my author page on the TOC Blog.

Live Review: Nelsonville Music Festival

2010-05-26T09:32:00.026-05:00

Nelsonville is a small town in the middle of southeastern Ohio overlooked by a gigantic white cross. It's the typical blend of drive-throughs, dollar stores and fast food; not the place you would immediately expect to find a top-notch music festival. But Nelsonville is also home to a little venue called Stuart's Opera House, run by a small group of some the nicest people around. Thanks to the efforts of these folks, I think it's safe to say that Nelsonville is now on the map, so to speak. The sixth annual Nelsonville Music Festival was the perfect blend of local flavor and national acts, all juxtaposed against the scenic vistas of rural Appalachia.

So before I jump into my recap, full disclosure: I've been helping out the folks at Stuart's for a few months now, and I was a weekend-long volunteer at the fest. While I may not have the most objective or complete view of the weekend's proceedings, I felt very compelled to at least try to encapsulate my experience.

I was up early on Friday morning to make my way over to the grounds and see what I could help out with. Long story short, it wasn't until late afternoon that I was able to sit down and catch the majority of the Buffalo Killer's set. The bearded trio from Cincinnati delivered a set of blistering, blues-y, psychedelic rock that would have made the James Gang proud. Their new single "Huma Bird" was the highlight for me, a track replete with all the vocal harmonies and guitar fills that this group excels at.

Next up on the schedule was a set from the Detroit Cobras, the most intimidating group of girls not found in a high school cafeteria. Backed by a beautiful sunset, the group burned through their set of scuzzy garage rock ditties. I ended up standing by some of the guys from the Honeybears, who seemed to be getting their minds blown. These girls knew how to work a crowd and they did a great job of getting everyone roweled up and ready for the festival's most rockin' evening.

I only had about 15 minutes to check out the Givers, but upon hearing these guys I wish I had more. The five piece from Lafayette were crammed onto the Back Porch stage along with their large assortment of gear. The songs that I heard were upbeat numbers that were heavy on bass and guitar noodling. It's the kind of afro-pop inspired sound that seems to be the flavor of the month, but these kids do it right. Mark my words, you'll be hearing about this band from all your hippest friends very soon.

I'll admit that I had high hopes for Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. I really dug the record, and I'd heard great things about their live show. Unfortunately, I just didn't find myself as impressed as I thought I would be. Don't get me wrong, the Honeybears are an extremely solid band, and Joe Lewis plays his role as frontman to a T. It just didn't captivate me the way I hoped it would, and by the end of the night the shtick of it all was wearing a bit thin.

Man Man rounded out Friday night, bringing their own unique, genre-defying brand of joyous noise to the stage. I still don't totally understand the constant comparisons to Frank Zappa, but the group definitely brought a bag of weird tricks: throwing feathers, squirting ketchup and dropping silverware. The fact that the crowd didn't get overly rowdy is a testament to how relaxed the atmosphere at this festival was. Man Man did their thing, playing some of my favorite's from 2008's Rabbit Habits, and before I knew it, the first day of the fest was over.

Saturday was another busy day for me; I worked in the green room most of the morning, making sure riders for the evening's acts were filled. In the afternoon, I did a couple of shifts at the merch tent. When I showed up, they were setting up all the Loretta Lynn merchandise, and that was predominantly what I sold throughout my stay. Loretta fans are a hardcore bunch; they don't just buy a single t-shirt, they get one of each color, an autographed cookbook, and a couple CDs for the car ride home. Most of the people I sold to were obviously there to see Loretta and tolerate the rest of the noise. Which is totally cool; if bringing in a big act like Loretta Lynn means that I get to see folks like the Detroit Cobras and Man Man, I'm all for it. Speaking of Loretta, it turns out that when you book her to play a gig, you don't just get her, you get her whole family. She's got a son who is your typical male country singer, cracking jokes about Viagra in-between songs. She's also got a pair of daughters who do a few solo numbers and then act as her back-up singers. By the time Loretta ambled out on stage in her big pink dress, the crowd was beyond ready. And what do you know? For a 75-year-old woman, she's still got a pretty damn good voice. Unfortunately she didn't really play anything from the record I'm most familiar with, 2004's Jack White-produced Van Lear Rose, but from the sound of it, she played what the crowd wanted to hear.

The festival grounds cleared out considerably once Loretta left the stage, which is unfortunate because all those people missed out on seeing the undeniable highlight of my weekend. The Dap-Kings warmed up the stage, quickly establishing themselves as one of the tightest bands I've ever laid ears upon. After a short introduction from the bandleader, Sharon Jones took the stage, and the rest can only be described as pure magic. Jones commanded the attention of everyone in attendance, perching precariously on a set of high heels that quickly came off so that she could dance all the more vigorously. Her voice sounded like it was echoing across the decades, seemingly ripped straight from some '70s soul record. At one point she brought some teenage kid on stage (I sound so old saying that...) and sang to him about how to love a woman. It was hilarious. I had to skip out a little before the encore to attend to some other duties, but I did catch two of my favorite songs: "I Learned the Hard Way" and "Better Things to Do". Sharon Jone, I got my taste and rest assured, I'll be back for more.

Sunday was an amazingly laid back day filled with lots of folks still groggy from the prior two evenings. Once again, my services were required at the green room for the majority of the day, but I did get a quick chance to check out Samantha Crain. I was a big proponent of her record with the Midnight Shivers, Songs in the Night, so it was nice to finally get to see her in person. Turns out her voice is just as great live as it is on tape, not to mention her lyrical wit and sense of humor. She played all three days of the fest, so it was all the more impressive that she was still in great spirits for her final set of the weekend.

I think most everyone in attendance on Sunday was there for the Swell Season, but I have to wonder if they were expecting the kind of show they got. The set started out with a trio of Swell Season tracks, but the focus quickly switched to Frames frontman Glen Hansard, who serenaded the crowd with several solo acoustic numbers. Swell Season counterpart Markéta Irglová was shuttled on and off the stage as needed, and the group's violinist did an Andrew Bird-esque looped violin piece at one point. I couldn't help but notice the on-stage dynamic between Glen and Markéta; the two barely interacted, suggesting a tension that is definitely prominent in much of the lyrical content of the group's latest, Strict Joy. Estranged lovers aside, Swell Season delivered in spades, if not exactly in the way I expected. It will be interesting to see how much longer this group lasts, but one thing is for sure: they certainly make beautiful music together.

As the group played their final notes, it became apparent that the Nelsonville Music Festival had drawn to a close. I don't think anyone can deny how smoothly the whole thing ran, and frankly it's still a little bit unbelievable to me. It was an honor to be a part of something so special, and I look forward to playing a bigger role next year. Nelsonville played host to some really great music and people seemed to have a really good time. In the end, what more can you ask from a music festival?

MidPoint Fest Lines Up Free Cinci Concert Series

2010-05-19T11:25:00.004-05:00

There have been some wonderful things happening down in Cincinnati over the past few years as far as music festivals go. From MusicNOW to the MidPoint Music Festival, the city is quickly solidifying itself as Ohio's premiere destinations for independent music in a festival setting.

This year the folks at MidPoint have really outdone themselves; not only will they be putting on their regularly scheduled festival from September 23-25, but they're also presenting a free Indie Summer concert series. The shows go down every Friday at 7:00 on Fountain Square, starting June 4 and going through September 3. Headliners and opening acts for the inaugural show are listed below, but you can find full line-ups listed here. I'm extremely impressed with the acts they've booked, and just a little disappointed that I'll be out of state for all this. At the very least, I'll be making the trek down for the Camera Obscura show, but those of you nearby should definitely be taking advantage of this series all summer.

June 4 - Camera Obscura w/ The Love Language & Paper Airplanes
June 11 - Neon Indian
June 18 - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
June 25 - Smoking Popes
July 2 - Pomegranates
July 9 - Why?
July 16 - You You’re Awesome
July 23 - Wussy
July 30 - Eat Sugar
Aug 6 - Dawes
Aug 13 - Buffalo Killers
Aug 20 - Bad Veins
Aug 27 - Brian Olive
Sept 3 - We Are Scientists

Summer Plans

2010-05-12T16:31:00.001-05:00

As you've likely already surmised, this summer I'm headed to Chicago. Considering how many weekends I whiled away in the city last summer, it'll be nice to actually be living in the thick of it all. Of course, there's a reason for this sudden change in scenery; during my stay I'll be interning at Time Out Chicago in their web editorial department. I'm told I'll get to try my hand at a little bit of writing, sling code on their website, and make trips to Starbucks. I'm confident it's going to be a great experience, although it will be a little bit strange seeing my work on a site that's not named after a Wilco lyric.

Internship aside, the real allure of being in Chicago over the summer is the abundance of live music that seems to gravitate towards the city. At the moment, I'm really looking forward to catching Pavement at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July. I'll also be checking out the street festivals, such as Taste of Randolph and Wicker Park Fest. In fact, the weekend I get into town, Akron/Family is playing just down the street from my apartment at the Metronome Celebration! On top of that, Millennium Park has a pretty amazing line-up of free shows this year as part of their New Music Mondays and Edible Audible Picnic series. Right now, I'm particularly looking forward to back-to-back performances by Dosh and the Books, as well as On Fillmore joined by Nels Cline. Needless to say, I feel like a kid in a candy store.

Rest assured, I'll be doing my best to keep my little corner of the internet up to date with as many pictures and reviews as I can find the time to post. It's going to be a tremendous summer, thanks in advance for coming along for the ride. Here are a few of my favorite Chicago-related songs to whet your appetite.

Album Review: Dosh "Tommy"

2010-04-27T20:45:00.001-05:00

Tommy is Dosh's fifth studio album, a tribute to Martin Dosh's former soundman, the late Tom Cesario. As such, one might expect the record to be a rather somber affair, rife with the kind of melancholy that so often accompanies the passing of a loved one. Instead, Dosh chooses to celebrate Cesario's life with his usual arsenal of upbeat, loop-driven arrangements. The result is an album that combines the many disparate elements of Dosh's more recent work into a fitting tribute for a fallen friend.

Opening track "Subtractions" sounds like it could have come straight off of 2006's The Lost Take, characterized by its bouncing synth and saxophone embellishments care of Happy Apple's Mike Lewis. It's a highly enjoyable showpiece of a song, taking just about every trick up Dosh's sleeve and combining them into a track that sounds both familiar and fresh. "Number 41" marks the first appearance of Andrew Bird on the record, providing his usual brand of carefully measured vocals over Dosh's dense instrumentation. Bird's last record was missing the sort of full-on collaboration with Dosh that Armchair Apocrypha's "Simple X" hinted at, so his appearance on this record is definitely a welcome occurrence. Rounding out the A-side of the record is a track called "Airlift"; one of the more grandiose and cinematic compositions ever to grace a Dosh album. With its swelling strings and organs, it's a sound we haven't heard from Dosh in the past, but one that provides another of Tommy's many highlights.

Tommy's 'Be-side' commences with a retread of sorts, finding Dosh reworking "Call The Kettle" which previously appeared on the Powder Horn EP. Here the track is expanded upon, building slowly until climaxing in the familiar riff that has made this particular song a staple of Dosh's live performances. Andrew Bird make another appearance on "Nevermet", a dusty acoustic ballad that provides the perfect backdrop for Bird's nuanced vocals. Closing track "Gare de Lyon" starts out innocently enough, with a snippet of dialogue setting off a simple drum beat which slowly builds into a laid-back groove. As the song progresses, it begins to sound more frantic before dissolving into a wave of feedback that is joined by another vocal recording. The final two minutes are best described as raw sonic emotion; an outpouring of the kind of joy and sorrow best communicated through music. It's a fitting finale to an album that takes so much pleasure in the subtleties of sound.

On Tommy, Dosh continues to solidify himself as one of the most unique forces in modern music. While his songs have always been deeply personal, this record manages to plunge into even greater emotional depths. Dosh found his voice through his music long ago; with Tommy he's shown that he has something to say.