Drawing from Music

As Hiatus Continues...Enjoy Another Mix..

2010-08-21T20:34:00.008-05:00

Hey All...As I continue to determine the next steps of this lowly artist's creative outlet and ventures in the music world I leave you with another Mixtape. It has been a busy yet great summer thus far and with the autumn like weather hopefully creeping up soon and all the kiddies are returning to their halls of education, I cant help but reminisce of the array of emotions that were always attached to this time of the year. Anyway, I will keep you posted on my progress and again...please follow me on twitter @drawingfromusic as I regularly tweet my contributions to The Music Slut, Brooklyn Vegan and of course Radio Free Chicago...Enjoy guys and see ya soon..

Back to School Mix..August Already??

1. E Is for Estranged - Owen Pallett

2.Runaway - The National

3.I Want a House - Twin Sister

4. Wet Cement - Morning Benders

5.Nothing Like You - Frightened Rabbit

6. Salt In The Wound - Delta Spirit

7.Taxi Cab - Vampire Weekend

8. Dirty Cartoons - Menomena

9. I'll Never Leave You - Rogue Wave

10. Perch Patchwork - Maps & Atlases

11.Nobody Gets Me But You - Spoon

12. You Can Keep Me Runnin' Around - Suckers

13. Broken Horse - Freelance Whales

14. Cubism Dream (Daytrotter Version) - The Local Natives

15. Someone's Missing 2:30 MGMT

16. When I'm With You 2:58 Best Coast

17. Gone - Tokyo Police Club

18. Better Times - Beach House

19.Modern Man - Arcade Fire

20.Finish Line - Fanfarlo

21.Down River - The Temper Trap

22. I Only Wear Blue - Dr. Dog

23. Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Chhhanges..Mix of May:It's Summertime!!!

2010-06-17T12:03:00.005-05:00

As this summer marks the one year anniversary for Drawing From Music, the daily blog will be taking a break for the summer months. I have recently had the opportunity to begin contributing work to the music site, Indie Rock Reviews based out of Seattle,WA; which you will see a bigger presence of my contributions in these upcoming months as we finalize our plans for festival coverage. I will also be doing some work with Chicago's local edition of The A.V. Club. Never fear though, Drawing From Music isn't going anywhere, this summer is the perfect time to make some changes to the site's format and return to my original concept of focusing on the discourse between visual art and music. To hold you over while these transitions occur, I put together a nice summer mix of songs that exude the sunniness of the summer months while touching upon the emotional duress that unfortunately makes it's presence known. Regardless where I'm writing you can follow me on twitter @drawingfromusic; I hope everyone enjoys their summer...I guarantee you will enjoy what's to come. Enjoy the music...

Mix of May: It's Summertime

1. Solitary Gun-Rogue Wave

2. Dirty Thing-Telekinesis

3. The Arrangement-Beach House

4. Conversation 16-The National

5. Shadow People-Dr Dog

6. Sun Hands-Local Natives

7. A Different City-Modest Mouse

8. Beetles-Warpaint

9. Sailing to Nowhere-Broken Bells

10. The Loneliness and the Scream-Frightened Rabbit

11. One Last-Avi Buffalo

12. Riot Rhythm-Sleigh Bells

13. Stitches-The Morning Benders

14. Never See Me Again-The Vivian Girls

15. Got Nuffin-Spoon

16. Chase Scene-Broken Social Scene

17. Older-Band of Horses

18. A Mind I Knew-Suckers

19. Wandering Song-Kittens Ablaze

20. Pearls-The Union Line

21. Starring-Freelance Whales

22. Om Nashi Me-Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

23. Slow Jabroni-Surfer Blood

24. People, Turn Around-Delta Spirit

This Week in Shows: Local Natives Yeah!!!!

2010-05-10T10:50:00.004-05:00

I cant think of a better way to get excited about Friday's show than this great video by the boys of Silver Lake for their single, "World News". The band will be at Schuba's Tavern on Friday for a double header with openers, Suckers setting the tone for both sold out performances. It's the perfect match of East Coast/West Coast upcoming buzz bands, I will be shooting STAL ( Scene Through A Lens) sessions of both bands throughout the day for Indie Rock Reviews. The week begins at sister venue, Lincoln Hall where Freelance Whales return to Chicago for what seems their monthly visit opening for the Shout Out Louds. The former Three Penny Space, will be hosting an evening of film Tuesday with the double feature of Wes Anderson classics, Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums. Saturday is a toss up evening as one could return to LH for Plants and Animals or over to the Empty Bottle for Greg Laswell

Freelance Whales /Shout Out Louds

Local Natives /Suckers

Greg Laswell

Plants and Animals

Coachella Set Times and Chicago's Record Store Day Festivities

2010-04-16T15:23:00.009-05:00

The festivities commenced a little over an hour and a half ago, as many of folks flocked to the deserts of Indio, CA for this year's Coachella Festival. Unfortunately some acts (Frightened Rabbit, The Cribs) have been forced to cancel their performances due to the airborne toxicity from the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Fingers crossed these cancellations are kept to a minimum; also as Record Store Day has once again fallen on the same weekend as Coachella, the fine people of Zia Records will have a record store onsite. A bundle of artists will be stopping by for signings...On that note, in Chicago Permanent Records will have a free grab bag while supplies last and will conduct their annual Flaming Lips' Zaireeka Boombox Experiment. Reckless Records will host live performances from local acts at all three locations. And finally just past the edge of the city, Rogue Wave will be at Rolling Stone Records for a signing at 11:30. Pitchfork has been ever so kind to list out the endless amount of releases one could expect when making their way through the record store tomorrow. For those wanting to pretend they're in the desert Coachella's set times are listed here.

A Grand Introduction of Lawrence Arabia-Lincoln Hall, Chicago, 4.7.10

2010-04-08T21:39:00.004-05:00

With much intrigue, I arrive early to catch the opener New Zealander, Lawrence Arabia. The stage is filled with five bearded men playing in a gritty bluesy rock fashion, harmonizing and complimenting Lawrence's tender and warm hearted vocals. Psychedelic black lights flash as the guys shudder around playing with intensity a full-bodied guitar rock. His lyrics a personal recounting of experiences pleasant and forgettable maneuvering the set's overall tonality through an array of emotions varying from jovial, sentimental and bitterly nostalgic. Romanticism gushes from stage in the grand caribbeanesque “Aukland CBD Part 2”, as Lawrence smoothly croons the crowd of former love. He cynically notes another dream related song, softly singing in a Buddy Holly fashion slowly unraveling his adolescent fantasies.

His prime ministers compliments him in harmonic style returning to a higher tempo with a beachy melody as smoke rises and the tambourine clatters. The band playfully jests with the venue's fog machine controller, beckoning a spray then quickly proclaiming too much. There is an overall pleasant way of their sound, familiarly blending past eras in a poppy singalong aesthetic as though offspring of Sgt. Pepper. His music an orchestral retelling of lost love letters of life leaving a certain Joie de Vivre in the air. Thanking the crowd and Fanfarlo once more before singing their final melody; a playful song of the pleasantries surrounding a beach environ. Stalling with the echoing sonorous do das before ultimately deconstructing in a dissonance of sound and a fog of the smoke machine.

Lawrence Arabia

"Go Home and Make Lots of Babies" Beach House-Metro, Chicago 4.2.10

2010-04-03T20:02:00.006-05:00

Arriving to another packed house, the floor full of smooshed together fans gazing at the unveiling of the sparkly tacky chic stage décor the Baltimore duo has orchestrated for the evening's performance. Victoria Legrand's smoky sultry vocals have resinated in my head since their previous Chicago stop in November. The band's third album, Teen Dream a far front runner for the year's top spot has not left the current playlist since it's initial release in January. I am excited to see how these songs have evolved given the fact, I had some insight on many of the songs interviewing the pair prior to the album's release. After a brief introduction from sponsorship the lights dim and the duo arrive on stage with their touring drummer, Daniel Franz. Alex Scally greets the crowd thanking everyone for having them back, easing into the their set. Victoria dressed in what seems to be her “showman's” blazer half dancing as she pounds down on the keyboard. Alex taps along on his foot pedal as they sing of life's melodramas and the assortment of emotions paired with it's grand spectrum while epic chords overdramatize the mundane in an iridescently beautiful manner.

Hunched over her keyboard, Victoria gracefully moans and vividly unravels each line echoing throughout the theater, hanging in everyone's hearts sinking in as she sways back and forth. With demanding force she punches the air fiercely singing each delicately delivered verse, before the catchy hook rings in and Legrande sidesteps left and right. Thanking opener Bachelorette, Alex quickly explains the next song an R rated version of something (unfortunately I didn't really understand the subject of his commentary). Each song an epic vignette, disjointed noises echo throughout as the light shines hauntingly upward into Victoria's face. Playing with such ease, she drinks water while punching each note, as the anfractuous sounds come from Alex's mystery box. He alternates from sitting to standing with a half dance in a cock-eyed manner blaring the jovial lighthearted “Used to Be”.
Legrand dances while lyrically beckoning for her love's return home, missing one's enchanted past. She takes a moment to comment on the crowd's emission of excitement before resuming play with the opening chords of “Zebra”; passionately singing over the cymbal crash. Wailing her heart stricken emotion into the air, face dimly lit and hidden behind hair; Victoria serenades her innermost desires in dramatic fashion as the fog creates an ambience of mystery. She comically announces before they're last song the evening a perfect night for the audience to make many babies with love in the air. Swaying hunched over her keyboard singing her romanticized ideas, ensuring care to her focused love ending the evening's set. The crowd roars with applause staring up at the stage as the sparkled confettied diamonds rotate. They quickly return, jesting with pleasantries and stalling before beginning “Real Love” with an a cappella onset before raising tempo with each pound on the keys. Keeping that lighthearted atmosphere the trio finish off with “10 Mile Stereo” Legrand's voice reverberating a sense of longing for a former love. She desirously beckons in her entrancing slow delivery as Alex's playful melody sprinkles a dose of enchantment . The smoke rises clouding the stage and the three hunched over their instruments holding their note in conclusion.

"I Just Want it to Sound Good for You" Spoon-Aragon Theatre, Chicago, 4.1.10

2010-04-02T11:45:00.008-05:00

Arriving in the nick of time, speaker music blares overhead the seemingly packed house of the mix of fraternity and hipster crowd of all ages. Lights turn off and the crowd turn around half-heartedly still conversing until Brit Daniel arrives on stage alone with his acoustic guitar. He greets the crowd and begins singing the classic, “Me and the Bean” setting the tone for the evening's set; ultimately fiercely strumming similarly to a mariachi guitarist. Stage lights shine and Eric Harvey joins Daniel supporting his intimate rendition of “Mystery Zone” on keyboards. The remainder of the band arrive, drowned in red and the bang on the piano keys raise the tempo while Daniel's scratchy voice reverberates throughout the theatre. Jim Eno begins pounding on the drums and Britt ditches his jacket, quickly revving his guitar prompting annoying drunken hipsters to cleverly invent peculiar dances. The Austin quintet have mastered this musical form of retaining this chaotic quality while orchestrating these harmonious melodies, playing these complex riffs in a simplified manner. The spotlight returns to Harvey, with a ghostly echoing effect Daniel quickly spills out the lyrically vivid lines of “My Mathematical Mind”. Hunched over his guitar, at times kneeling down with the distortions of his guitar ringing out slowly submerging the crowd into this musical sea of nostalgic excitement and introspective beauty.

Totally immersed in their craft, the evening's setlist thus far reads like a greatest his album. Daniel and co. play as though they've orchestrated this concerto of masterful play; brilliantly transitioning the tempo and gracefully creating this cinematic ambience in their synchronization and focused play exhibiting this awesomeness on stage. With the alteration of color of lights, the set's mood mellows down. An alarming sound blares overhead, before the familiar notes of “Small Stakes” come from Harvey's keys. Listening to this song, I can't help think of the last time I saw Spoon live; it was eight years ago at the Abbey, an unforgettable evening. Since then, much finesse and maturity are apparent in the band's stage presence and eloquent play. I have come to expect faulty sound in the Aragon, but did not realize how troublesome it is for the artists, Britt has now noted again his annoyance. He announces the next a song by Wolf Parade, an endearing cover of “Modern World” played with a delicate Southwestern flair.
A meticulous production, Daniel narrates his intricate tales, full-bodied sound with a seamless quality transitioning the performance's tempo, unraveling in guitar play chaotically complimenting Daniel's composed delivery. The crowd begins dancing and moving along with the opening notes, “Don't You Evah”. He returns to his acoustic guitar, commenting once more of his inability to hear what they're playing; causing a sound person to confirm his inability. Fiercely strumming before Eno's drums kick in, Daniel serenades the audience; an array of instrumentation surround his unaffected raspy voice. A soft passionate exhalation of works packed with a toe-tapping rhythm. An explosive sound with an ear shattering drumroll, the jovial melody plays on ceasing with a chaotic spill of notes in the air, maracas continuing to rattle until, “Black Like Me” ultimately commences. A passionate recounting of experiences is what finishes this wonderful collection of the Austin quintet's catalogue of songs. Brit bows and exits the stage. Quickly returning, Daniel expresses gratefulness for the crowd's presence noting this their largest crowd in Chicago and modestly admitting a desire to sound good. The encore is filled with many Spoon classic tracks, crowd swaying back and forth; the music comes to an abrupt halt before Daniel revs his guitar back up as the spotlights flash throughout the crowd. He plays with intensity as the band waves good evening leaving the audience with the shuddering sound of distortion in the air.

Spoon

Vampire Weekend Return to Chicago: Riviera Theatre, 3.25.10

2010-03-26T21:09:00.005-05:00

The young Brooklyn quartet run onto stage, seemingly more youthful in person than I expected; with high energy and excitement greeting the crowd and taking their places. They strap on their guitars and immediately begin with the newer track, “White Sky” the crowd goes in an uproar with elation. The set continues with “Holiday”the next track on their most recent release, Contra; playing with intensity in an upbeat tempo. Bassist, Chris Baio is dancing and jumping in place as Ezra Koening croons the crowd with his smoothly soft voice. Afterwards he casually greets the crowd, “Hello Chicago” he sings with this macho confidence, dancing around with his guitar. Koening has a “Jailhouse Rock” presence to his performance style, demanding attention as he serenades the audience with crowd favorite, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”. Keeping a playful manner with the audience, we are orchestrated to assist the band with the chorus; energy stays upbeat through performance as the crowd is ecstatic to sing along.

Quickly spitting out lyrics, Koening sings “California English” as the song breaks down to his bare strum on the guitar he shakes his hips and Christopher Tomson crashes in on his drums. The band continues raising the intensity and tempo; with a quick strum everyone on stage and in the crowd are jumping and moving their feet. The lights dim, Rostam Batmanglij takes a seat at his keyboards as the other three appear as though they are playing on a street corner with more classical instrumentation. The girls swoon, chandeliers hang above the stage and the mystery blonde(album cover) hangs as a backdrop, glowing overhead in an eerie fashion. Koening shakes his head as he reaches a high note, often on his toes, he points into the crowd. Taking a breather and “giving the audience a moment” checking everyone's status throughout; he flirts with his fans, smirking with confidence and beckoning all of us to bounce along. Continuing to brag about the number of stops through Chicago thus far, he reminds those of the warm temperatures from last year's Lollapalooza, once again requesting aide with the chorus. With strobe lights flashing, there is a rhythmic synchronization between the drums and Koening's fast guitar strum emulate the heart thudding sound of a machine gun reverberating throughout the old theatre weaving into a mixture of African inspired beats and chants. Each member has a unique approach to dancing about stage as they strum along with the song. The sea of teenagers sway back and forth in awe, singing along and pounding their fists in the air with the chorus. I think the appeal has a lot to do with the combination of these jovial melodies and this sense of adolescence in the lyrics as the Brooklyn quartet retain this playful disposition on adult hood as they dance and sing these sugar-dipped tunes on stage.
After a brief break, the band returns to stage thanking the crowd and requesting one more sing-along chorus. As Ezra utters the words, “In the summer...” the theatre explodes with excitement as everyone sings the verses to “Horchata”. Tomson continues to pound on the drums in a pseudo tribal/marching band fashion. Koening playfully teases the crowd to keep up the intensity for the next song, commenting on the early hour. He challenges everyone to move their body for the next two minutes, they begin playing “Mansard Roof” at a fast pace. Stomping his feet and speedily strumming his guitar, getting alarmingly close to the outreached hands of the crowd. Canvas Nikes are the new blue suede shoes, as the crooning New Yorker shakes his hips; he bids farewell pointing in the air and singing with a suave machismo. The drums pounding hard, lights flashing, crowd jumping...strums and an explosion of cheers.

Vampire Weekend

SXSW: Day One-Warpaint Rules!!!

2010-03-17T11:57:00.012-05:00

My SXSW festivities (first-time) began with an overwhelming mixture of excitement, confusion and a mild sense of nervousness unfamiliar of what to expect but confident regardless, I would have the opportunity to see some exciting acts and reunite with familiar faces I have seen in the past. Getting my bearings of Sixth St and laying out the land for Wednesday's day parties, I quickly headed towards The Mohawk for my first show of the week( The Austinist's day party). Taking pause to realize the crowds surrounding a parking garage were enjoying an AOL/Spinner pop up show featuring Broken Bells. The line wasn't too bad quickly squeezing through the packed bar; I am staring up at portraits of bearded men lining the bar (an obvious highlight of the bar, that had similarly bearded men slinging drinks to patrons). The crowd from the previous act's ambient environ depart the tiny room as the Silver Lake, CA quartet known as Warpaint set up for their performance. Definitely a band high on my priority list to see while in Austin, their debut EP, Exquisite Corpse has been on repeat since learning about them in early November. An album, which also made the year's top EP list.

Warpaint-The Mohawk: Austinist Day Party

Without note, music begins with a heavy thumping bass line and a delicately seductive delivery of verse creating a happy, yet funky harmony that has the crowded room dancing along. Almost in a meditative trance the girls establish an aura of ease and comfort. Genuinely one with their instrumentation there is a natural flow and transition in their song that captivates the audience as they seamlessly play into the popular single, “Stars”. Witnessing their music live is much more magical and ethereal than what's recorded as the quartet noticeably have a tendency to allow the music to control the length of play. Vocals are shared between guitarists Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman; there is a warm contrast in style of delivery that unite in verse in a harmonious fashion. With a concentrated focus on their music the girls continue to play on, keeping an upbeat tempo throughout the set; bassist, Jenny Lee Lindberg spends most of the performance swaying and bouncing in the direction of the drummer, Stella Mozgawa. Stripping away the intensity to expose a gentle stroke on the guitar and a low intangible melody; complimenting the vocals of Kokal's (similar to Portishead's Beth Gibbons) serene and sultry sound with Wayman's (much like Karen O) delivery that has a sharper more punchier insistence. Finally greeting the crowd with a jovial, “how y'all doin'?” the girls take a deep breath noting two more songs and introduce “Elephants”. A song that has a soft onset and ultimately breaks down into a chaotic high tempo congruous explosion of sound. With an array of layers in their music which overlap upon each other transitioning back and forth from soft to heavy, it's nearly a system overload of music chewy center (almost something enjoyed more privately). Already with a yearning desire for more I quickly determine my next opportunity to enjoy the harmonic amalgamation of this Silver Lake, quartet.

Freelance Whales-Galaxy Room: Paste Party

I quickly bolt over to the Galaxy Room on Sixth, where the Freelance Whales are tuning up and a good sized crowd eagerly wait for their set to commence. Sunlight dims through the windows and Paste creator, Josh Jackson arrives on stage to express his excitement and honor to introduce, Freelance Whales. With a pluck at the banjo and orchestrated howls in the air, the set begins with “Generator First Floor” the opening track on their soon to be released debut, Weathervanes. There's a magical sensation that exudes from stage as the quintet from Queens,NY sings in an off-tune synchronized fashion and this rural fantastical tale unravels with each word Judah Dadone sings in verse. Quirky noises and orchestrated melodies ring from the rest of the band as Chuck Criss tings away on the glockenspiel. After a short greeting, Dadone continues with the set punching away at the keyboard. The group exhibits passion and emotion with each breath; resuming their high intensity performance, with second track, “Hannah”. They briefly mention their own excitement to be playing, this is Freelance Whales debut at SXSW. Continuing to play, alternating in tempo with intensive energy and animation on the arsenal of instruments arranged on stage; painting colorful imagery of a farmhouse love story that transitions through a bittersweet narrative emitting a combination of happy and sad simultaneously. Guitar distortion reverberates from Kevin Read's bow as Doris Cellar sways the harmonium back and forth. There's an introverted geek fashion of dance occurring on stage as this quintet continues this sweet saga, singing along eyes closed with affection. The set concludes with the happy sing along “Generator Second Floor” with plenty of the crowd dancing and assisting in vocals. Judah shakes with emotion, as the contrasting beauty of his voice with Cellar's exhibit this romantic magical affection.

Acrylics-Peckerheads: The Music Slut Day Party

Making it inside as the band begins their first notes with Molly Shea singing lead as Travis Rosenburg and Jason Klauber playing along with two additional band members. Im immediately re submerged into this cinematic weaving of layered sounds and romanticized lyrics. Saying hello and comically beckoning the crowd to approach the stage, Jason smoothly bargains for a beer before the music returns. Having a more full-bodied sound with the additional instrumental support while retaining the endearing intimacy present in an old Western love story. Travis delicately brings in the next tune plucking the melody on a slide guitar, before the tempo explodes in a crash of drums with the song's chorus. Jason and Molly quickly dispensing each verse, singing towards a symbiotic bright future. Keeping a conversational connection with the audience, Jason continues to jokingly banter back and forth with the lone howler in the crowd. Ultimately he announces the next song, “Molly's Vertigo” pointing over to Molly introducing her, who bashfully says, “hi”. Contradictory to her shy disposition she sings with excitement and passion exploding with personality on stage deciphering her thoughts and feelings through the song's subject-matter. After quickly swapping guitars and requesting more acoustic, Jason begins strumming a newer song; a sweet love song nostalgic for 70s era duet. This afternoon's set comes to a conclusion with the EP's title track, “All of the Fire”; ending a strong performance for a crowd seemingly unknowing of expectation but in awe with an imminent enjoyment of a lyrically amazing young band.

Finally getting an opportunity to catch my breath and feed my blood sugar level, and returned to the Galaxy Room and patiently wait for Paste's headliner of the day, Frightened Rabbit. The crowd slowly trickles in and begins filling the once emptied room chattering with excitement of the first day's festivities listing the day's parties that topped each other's lists. Keeping patience as it becomes apparent the band's having issues with instruments quickly determining a resolution to make the afternoon's performance worthwhile.

Frightened Rabbit-Galaxy Room:Paste Party

The sun slightly sets through the window dimming the room and the band is ready for their set. Scott Hutchinson wearily greets the audience mentioning equipment malfunction (but more colorfully) explaining they have pieced something together to play with. Apparently affected instrumentation are no big problem as with the crash of Grant's drums the Scottish quintet play a seamless rendition of “The Modern Leper”. Scott asks of our well-being with an excited expression, having success with the makeshift instruments and finally moving onto “Swim Until You Can't See Land”. The crowd cheers and the band eases into the set spotlighting the new direction taken in their most recent release, The Winter of Mixed Drinks. The Scottish band's third album exhibits its evolution as a band slowly gelling as a more united force tackling ambiguous subject matter rather than Hutchinson's past heartbreaks. Dancing about stage, Scott blurts out in his lovable Scottish tongue his tale of new adventures. Still struggling with instrument difficulties, the issue is remedied with the crowd favorite “Old Old Fashioned” The set is turning out to be a happy marriage of previous album's pains and their newer songs which displays the growth that comes along with life lessons. “Living In Colour” another new song beckons for the crowd to clap along; Scott wails with intensity into the air. Seemingly limited with material given the situation, they finish the set with “Keep Yourself Warm”. The music strips down to his pain stricken voice shedding his misery before returning to the upbeat tempo,leaving the crowd roaring for more.

This Week in Shows: A Preview of Austin

2010-03-08T10:06:00.004-06:00

Inspired from image by Sebastian Kim

With one week until I head down to the warm weather Austin has to offer; I can't help not getting excited for a nice preview of some of the bands making their trek to SXSW.

Wednesday, March 10: Turbo Fruits and Surfer Blood will be playing Schuba's Tavern

Thursday, March 11: We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Lonely Forest make their first visit to Lincoln Hall

Friday, March 12: (Above painted) Vivian Girls head over to the Subterranean.

Saturday, March 13: Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore will play Schuba's Tavern

Aside from final planning and packing this should be a fun yet busy week.

An Intimate Evening with Acrylics, Schuba's Tavern, Chicago,3.3.10

2010-03-04T15:41:00.004-06:00

Tonight's show seems to be a well kept secret, the room is pretty spacious aside from the scattered local hipsters eager to check out the highly blogged about Acrylics. The Brooklyn, NY duo who are expanding to a full band;released their EP, All of the Fire with, Terrible Records in the Fall of 2009 are making their maiden voyage through the States in support. The noise and chatter of the audience cease as the initial notes of music commence, immediately a variety of harmonious tones blare from the stage ultimately deafening down to a pair of simple pleasant strums from the contrasting guitars. Molly Shea and Jason Klauber (joined on stage by Travis Rosenburg) , a hypnotizing pair of voices singing 70s influenced melodramatic pop music with a cinematic grandiose aesthetic. As the first song concludes, Jason expresses gratitude and introduces the band and their origin, noting how great it is to be in Chicago.

Cross breeding a variety of sounds and influences, its difficult to peg a specific classification of the trio's sound. A languid, gentle delivery of personal recounting swapped by the pair and complimented by contrasting guitar play (electric vs. acoustic) and a synth-pop accenting an upbeat, joyous chorus. After a brief miscue, the three quickly restart, "All of the Fire" an air of nervousness present but not affecting the band's pleasurable chemistry and personal enjoyment to share their tales and music. Aside from the minor mishaps from the venue's sound, an ingenious beauty exudes from the stage. After much of the trio's set, Molly finally speaks introducing the band's notable track "Molly's Vertigo." The song's lyrics paint an image of the past, surrounded by a bittersweet misery well beyond the years of the band. There is an introverted quality present, as the two expose each other's optimistic hope through their soul's aspirations and the dreamy melodies on their guitars. Thanking the audience once again, Jason introduces the set's final song, "counting sheep" an unreleased love song searching for a warm embrace for the night's end. A wonderfully warm lullaby to close the evening's performance. I am now more eager to see the band on my upcoming trip to SXSW, who will be playing 7 shows (including the first performance of the week's festivities).

Acrylics

Terrible Records

Atoms For Peace are Headed to Chicago???

2010-02-25T16:38:00.004-06:00

Thom Yorke has declared an alternate moniker with which he would like to pursue his personal musical endeavors. What has now become his "other" band, Atoms For Peace will be making a tour through select US cities this Spring. Tickets for the Chicago stops go on sale, March 3.

04-05 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom *
04-06 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom *
04-08 Boston, MA - Citi Wang Theatre *
04-10 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom *
04-11 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom *
04-14 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre *
04-15 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre *
04-17 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl *
04-18 Indio, CA - Coachella

* with Flying Lotus

Dead Air Space

2010 Is Going to be Epic!!!

2010-02-19T11:41:00.011-06:00

It's been five loong years since the last time we heard something new from Broken Social Scene. If you have not heard by now, we will finally get our hands on a new album (Forgiveness Rock Record) from the Canadian bunch in May. Today, the band upped their ante with their first single, "World Sick" an epic reminder of a heart-warming sensation that overwhelms the body after a life altering experience with someone amazing of the opposite sex. Head to their website below to download the single. When you feel you cannot repeat anymore dust off the rest of their listening goodness an remind yourself of the greatness that is headed your way.

(update 3.5, Broken Social Scene will return to Chicago to kick off P4K on Friday, July 16.)

World Sick

Broken Social Scene

The Antlers Fuel my Excitement for Monday with a Visual Interpretation of "Bear"

2010-02-12T18:33:00.002-06:00

When I first heard this track, Peter was releasing the album out of his apartment in Brooklyn. My imagination went crazy with a variety of visual ideas to the lyrics. Monday will mark the fourth time I've seen the guys live in less than a year's time and each experience uncovers another layer of emotion and beauty. The Antlers as a trio have truly transformed this isolated tale of misery into this invigorating vigil.

Pitchfork 2010 (First Round of Lineup Announced)

2010-02-05T11:38:00.004-06:00

Above is the 2009 Jay Ryan Pitchfork poster

In Chicago, things within the music scene begin to get exciting when:

A: an anticipated band makes their way through town in support of a recently released album

B: Lineups and dates are announced for the upcoming Pitchfork Music Festival

C: All of the above, plus whatever else you could think of that doesn't pertain to this posting.

Anyway, Pitchfork has announced the first round of bands for this year's festival which includes each evening's headliners and few of the young and exciting bands who will make their way to Union Park, July 16-18. Modest Mouse will kick things off on Friday, with Raekwon and LCD Soundsystem on Saturday and the freshly reunited Pavement ending the festivities on Sunday. Also noted to perform on the festival's final day are Sleigh Bells, Here We Go Magic, Cass McCombs, Lightning Bolt and St. Vincent. Tickets are on sale today along with any supporting information not mentioned above at the festival's site.

Port O'Brien Makes it Out to Daytrotter

2010-01-25T13:27:00.005-06:00

Cold and dreary with a high possibility of snow flurries is the perfect day to find that our Rock Island friends at Daytrotter have chosen Port O'Brien for the session of the day. Preparing to kick off their second tour supporting the third release, Threadbare; a more somber approach is apparent throughout the album making for an excellent soundtrack for a less noteworthy day. Anyway regardless of how your day is turning out, head over to Daytrotter for a stellar set of songs.

Port O'Brien

Hope For Haiti Now

2010-01-22T19:08:00.005-06:00

Hollywood is holding their event tonight blanketing the tv channels with a hope to raise funds for those in Haiti dealing with the catastrophe from the recent earthquakes. Live performances will be available to be purchased on Itunes and you can always head over to the website and donate there. The possibilities are endless, in terms of options to contribute to the efforts in aiding the victims of this horrible tragedy. Stay tuned to future news to learn how Drawing From Music is contributing towards the cause. Until then follow the links below to keep up to date on the support or to give what you can.

Hope For Haiti Now

Itunes Album

Tomorrow Never Knows 2010 Day 1: Adam Green, Linoln Hall, 1.13.10

2010-01-14T07:32:00.006-06:00

Arriving for the tail end of opener's The Dead Trees' set, whom from the audience's response were pleasing enough for requests for more music. It was quickly noted they would be returning to stage as Adam Green's band for the evening. Tonight's crowd is decent, but seeming to gradually trickle in for the opening evening of this year's Tomorrow Never Knows as Schuba's Tavern get a helping hand from their newest venue, Lincoln Hall. There is chatter all around and beverages are ordered and the room begins to fill up as The Dead Trees return to stage gearing up for the next performance. They begin quietly strumming the first chords and Adam creeps out from stage right, shirtless and donning a pilot's flight jacket with a beer bottle in hand. In a truly shagadelic fashion he begins jumping and dancing about stage, as he begins his lonely hearted crooning lyrics with a blank stare and drunken grin.

He greets the crowd in a warm friendly manner, peering out above the audience's heads exhibiting his inebriation. His stage persona continues to create new and innovative ways to dance along with his music, almost forgetting at times he was not alone on stage. Triumphantly announcing his renewed desire to return to touring jesting about some ridiculous reasoning behind his previous decision to reject touring, and a brief break he said he would rather not speak of. Adam casually jokes about world perspectives and his aspirations to still be performing a decade from now,wondering if the audience would still attend. Adam flails and jiggles about, belting out songs in his baritone lined octave while exasperation is exuded between verses through heavy breathing and slouching over. "Cant be witty, gotta be honest"was something Adam mentioned during one of his many comic reliefs throughout his set prior to his Jessica Simpson inspired melody and resonated as there is a certain honesty seen in his performance.

The music is stripped down, and Adam seemed to display himself on stage as opposed to some flashy light show. He bares his soul (or his chest..in this matter)singing softly of Jessica's fraudulent attempts to pursue a music career. Pouring water overhead, Adam partners up with his jacket shaking it about, gloatingly inventing alternate methods of shaking his body. Bringing his set to an end, he beseeches from the crowd the possibility of one crowd surf, who generously abide. A fitting action for a chorus he belches, " Baby's gonna be alright"; finally waving and walking off stage his jacket in hand.

As the New Year Continues to Reveal...

2010-01-11T17:34:00.009-06:00

We are only in the second week of 2010 and the anticipation of what excitement continues to be revealed for the year is shaping up to be a wonderful encore to the wonders of 2009. This week on Wednesday, Tomorrow Never Knows 2010 commences showcasing some the year's up & coming artists who have had many bloggers rattling away with eagerness. Many of the heavy hitter's shows are sold out but check with Schuba's Tavern as tickets are still available for others and many prize giveaways throughout the week. If that wasn't enough tour info continues to make waves as Pavement,Beach House, Passion Pit and Spoon all announce stops in the Windy City. At Npr's First Listen, Spoon's Tranference can be heard, M.I.A will release her third album this Summer and Dirty Projectors give away a free single.

Check out the venues' lineup below and join the week's festivities if you're in town and mark yoour calendars for the what's still to come this year.

Wednesday, January 13
Lincoln Hall: The Dead Trees, Adam Green, The Cribs

Thursday, January 14
Lincoln Hall: Gemini Club,Maps & Atlases, Solid Gold, Voxtrot
Schuba's Tavern: Lasers Fast & Shit, Bear in Heaven, Freelance Whales, Surfer Blood

Friday, January 15
Lincoln Hall: Shapers, Icy Demons, Atlas Sound
Schuba's Tavern: Only Children, Truman Peyote,The Hood Internet, Neon Indian

Saturday, January 16
Lincoln Hall: Julie Doiron, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Bowerbirds
Schuba's Tavern: Peter Wolf Crier, Sharon Van Etten, Owen Pallett

Sunday, January 17
Schuba's Tavern: Netherfriends, Pomegranates, Skybox, Clues

Looking ahead, Pavement is said to be headlining this year's Pitchfork Music Festival, both Passion Pit and Beach House on April 2. The evening prior Spoon will be performing at Aragon.

Rookie of the Year: Local Natives

2009-12-31T22:56:00.009-06:00

With their long awaited debut album, Gorilla Manor officially releasing in the US on February 16; 2009 has been a helluva year for the quintet, Local Natives out of Silverlake, CA. First making waves with their insanely busy lineup at SXSW 09 and creating an ear popping buzz familiar to that of Vampire Weekend, who's previous year in DIY-101 made them the most talked about band in 2008. Much like the latter, Local Natives' music is ten times better than one could write or describe. Drawing a likeness to a range of bands from Fleet Foxes, Yeasayer and Rogue Wave; but not at all limited to those and at the same time so much more exuding excitement and an energetic explosion of originality when performing. Spending the majority of the year on tour, the band has made it's rounds nationwide and are slowly creeping through the UK and the rest of Europe.
At this point a nice selection of tracks from Gorilla Manor have been revealed either at live shows or online via Daytrotter or Myspace. I know the guys have been willing and excited to cross the Atlantic or tour barns within the Midwest to share their catalog of genre blending high-energy symphonies. Themes and subject matter varies throughout the selection of songs heard thus far, but many focus on the person, one molds themselves into as an adult and the nostalgia and childlike tendencies brought to surface as this new persona takes face. At times swapping out vocalist duties, it seems as though there is a true collaborative effort by these guys to share their tales on life. I definitely have a biased opinion, but feel its well justified when I say Local Natives have put forth the necessary effort to create a presence while exhibiting the staying power with an original direction in music. I have had the opportunity to see the band at the Bowery Ballroom and locally at Lincoln Hall, and am already anticipating seeing them more in 2010. Frenchkiss Records is releasing Gorilla Manor, February 16 in the US.

Local Natives-Myspace

Local Natives

Outta Sight

2009 Top 10 Music Videos

2009-12-30T23:08:00.004-06:00

Little by little it seems to me as though artists are making a strong effort to rejuvenate the extinct medium of music videos. I still feel a tinge of disappointment when MTV is mentioned, since their focus shifted to over dramatic reality stupidity. I found myself this year being pleasantly surprised and at times honestly mesmerized by much of the creativity exhibited in many of the videos that visualized the featured track. The following ten videos I feel really took the medium to the next level while at the same time retaining a certain level of nostalgia that made music videos so exciting growing up.

10. Swim Until You Can't See Land-Frightened Rabbit

9. Lust For Life-Girls

8. Ready, Able-Grizzly Bear

7. To Kingdom Come-Passion Pit

6. Stars-Warpaint

5. Heads Will Roll-Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4. Stillness In the Move-Dirty Projectors

3. Two-The Antlers

2. Grapevine Fires-Death Cab for Cutie

1. Kisses Over Babylon-Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Have Yourself A Merry Xmas

2009-12-25T17:14:00.004-06:00

It is grey and rainy today, not what is usually expected in Chicago at this time of the year. I hope everyone out there has had a wonderful holiday season. I thought Bright Eyes' (Conor Oberst) version of this Christmas classic truly sums up the cozy yet cold feelings that accompany this season. There is a certain nostalgic sadness for me each year as the realization continues to set in, that there are different experiences and expectations with Christmas and being an adult.

Have Yourself A Merry Christmas

2009 Top 15 EPs

2009-12-22T15:36:00.007-06:00

An EP (extended play) is defined as a record, cd or audio file that is larger than a single but not long enough to be a full length album. Sometimes bands remind their listeners of their presence with a teaser of what may come; other times an EP represents a chronicling of a creative period for the band. The origin of the EP is the 7 inch record and is a medium that became obsolete and was re popularized in the Punk era. Many of the EPs on this year's list are either an introduction to some new and exciting bands breaking into the music scene or are annual favorites exhibiting many of the creative experiments that were a result from a track that landed on a recently released album.

15. Washed Out-Life of Leisure EP
14. Warpaint Exquisite Corpse EP
13. Dum Dum Girls-Your Alone
12.The Pains of Being Pure at Heart-Higher Than the Stars
11. Beirut-March of the Zapotec/Realpeople Holland
10. No Age-Losing Feeling
9. Blitzen Trapper-Black River Killer
8. Aushua-Limbo EP
7. Animal Collective-Fall Be Kind EP
6. Modest Mouse-No One's First and You're Next
5. Moonface-Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums
4. Death Cab for Cutie-The Open Door EP
3. Andrew Bird-Fitz and the Dizzyspells
2. Bon Iver-Blood Bank
1. Dirty Projectors-Temecula Sunrise

2009 Top 25 Albums

2009-12-18T14:17:00.017-06:00

With the year coming to an end in the next couple of weeks the daunting task began, to compile the albums that have had the most impact on my taste musically this year. Many of the following albums made an early effort and with countless revisits proved their worthiness of placement on the year end's list. Others took hours of debate and comparison to determine a deserving placement on the final tally. In contrast to other lists out there, many may disagree with my choices but its difficult to deny the importance each one of these albums have had in 2009; not to mention the restrained anticipation for future endeavors by the bands themselves. Without further ado....

25. Telekinesis-Telekinesis! 2009 has been the year of the resurgence of pop in a variety of formats. Telekinesis' self-titled debut with an exclamation was released in the first quarter of the year and had enough staying power to retain a position on the year end's list. Catching my attention almost immediately when the Chris Walla produced album initially peaked it's head on the Internet with a attention grasping power pop that has you humming along. With similar sounds to the producer's own band's (Death Cab for Cutie) earlier albums, Telekinesis' pulls at the heart strings with Michael Benjamin Lerner the one man band behind the moniker creating grounded music that has a relate able quality with its listeners. Lerner's lyrics are light and playful while at times addressing deeper issues, paint a canvas of nostalgic times and reflecting on his love life in an idealistic manner.

Telekinesis!

24. Fanfarlo-Reservoir/ Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros-Up From Below After much deliberation and having an akin to a variety of attributes in both of these albums I decided on a tie as each band has had a constant presence on my play list throughout the second half of the year. Fanfarlo are a London based Indie Pop band who can be included in the overwhelming abundance of band who utilized the strengths of classical instrumentation infused with the standard guitar,bass and drums. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are one of many emerging bands exploding out of Los Angeles, appearing as though reentering the grid of society from some love bathed commune of hippies. There is a large contrasting quality between the two bands as they both embrace their own version of the reinvented popularity of Pop music. Simon Balthazar, Swedish lead singer of Fanfarlo, creates a whimsical strain of words that are drenched in a symphonic explosion of harmony. Alex Ebert often serenades a true love as this commune band revives psychedelic retro indie folk with a supporting band that totals 11, whose live performances create a truly jovial kumbaya of hand claps and swaying back and forth; as the crowd is mesmerized by the band's endearing romanticism retelling their love story.

Resevoir

Up From Below

23. Port O'Brien-Threadbare The band's third album takes a departure from the previous narration of times as a fisherman. Lead singer, Van Pierzalowski noted in an interview, this was his first summer not spent on his father's fishing boat in Alaska. As the title, Threadbare addresses much of the tonality and themes within this album are tired and longingly reflective. It almost emulates the realities of life people have a tendency avoiding for a artificial facade. The band dealt with much misery during the year which has an overwhelmingly delicate presence in Cambria Goodwin's painful moans and Pierzalowski's piercing wales of the chorus. Threadbare is a must play when all you want to do is wallow in sadness and embrace the grey skies of winter.

Threadbare

22. Kid CuDi-Man on the Moon:The End of the Day A new era of hip-hop rap was introduced in August, as the Cleveland born rapper, Kid CuDi, brought a fresh style of rap to the limelight. CuDi's debut album is formatted as a narrative unraveling a tale of this fictional character which parallels an introspective exploration of his own perception along with his delusions of grandeur. He experiments with his rap style in sing/rhyme inter fusion while retaining a standard hip-hop sleaziness, pushing the envelope creatively while collaborating with artists from other musical genres. He was discovered by Kanye West and aided in much of the creative process of 808s & Heartbreak, writing a number of the songs as well. Man on the Moon...is a huge success where 808s failed comparatively, not finding a necessity for auto-tune CuDi's natural voice singing at times flows more naturally and ekes originality in a genre that has a tendency to sound over produced and mundane.

Man on the Moon:The End of the Day

21. Kittens Ablaze-The Monstrous Vanguard This year's CMJ festival introduced me to a number of talented and exciting bands who should have a larger presence in the music industry this upcoming year. Unsurprisingly from Brooklyn, as my theory of "something in the water" stays intact, comes Kittens Ablaze a sextet creating music one could describe as conceptual indie pop fusion rock. Implementing a string section along with a variety of alternative instruments a chaotic beauty grasps your attention and does not let go throughout their debut, The Monstrous Vanguard. Quite a feat to witness live, the music is layered and builds with intensity as Tim Spellman's lyrics illustrate a gloomier perspective on life.

The Monstrous Vanguard

20. Foreign Born-Person to Person Gaining earlier buzz from past tour mates, Grizzly Bear, who noted an excited anticipation for the release of Person to Person in July. The sophomore effort from the Los Angeles based band, furthers the experimental fusion of world music with a classic rock aesthetic of meticulously crafted guitar chords. Their music is the perfect soundtrack for an endless summer, a controlled explosion of sunshine layered in an Afro-pop fashion. Losing some of the harsh beauty present in, On the Wing Now but exhibiting an obvious maturity in their craft is unmistakable as transitions are much smoother almost like a seasoned traveler. Much benefit must come from Fool's Gold, the sister band most of Foreign Born members moonlight whom take on a more "Afro-Hebrew" tendency. Matt Popieluch, lead singer, describes his constant theme in his lyrics as "When interior struggles encounter and navigate physical landscapes."

Person to Person

19. Harlem Shakes-Technicolor Health Someone could find great difficulty if requested to best classify the music of Harlem Shakes. Technicolor Health, the debut and unfortunately final album(the band found its demise before the end of the year) is a collection of anthem sounding, toe-tapping charged songs.There is an odd familiarity to the lyrics creating a natural desire for the listener to sing along. Lexy Benaim's nasally delivery adds a colorful layer to the melancholic happy tone of the music. Technicolor Health was a first step in a positive direction showcasing creativity and pop excitement from a band that could have been great, unfortunately there will always be that nagging desire for more.

Technicolor Health

18. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson-Summer of Fear Much to the popular opinion, I found Robinson's second release a pleasant surprise and a wonderful companion album to a broken heart. Summer of Fear is an album that feels much like a love letter given when an undesired end is near and expression of feelings is a necessity. Robinson's Dylanesque delivery projects a soulfulness only truly felt at the core of each song as his scratchy wail unveils his beckoning desire for love. Each listen uncovers another layer of emotion any listener can associate with.

Summer of Fear

17. The Pain Being Pure at Heart-S/T With its abrupt beginning listeners are immediately drenched in a sound that would make the late John Hughes' ears dance with pleasure; as I am overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia reminiscing of films which crafted my childhood in the 80s. Their music marries the sounds of 80s pop tunes in a Belle & Sebastian style while retaining a high energy intensity that continues on a jovial path. The Pains successfully have reawakened a vintage form of Pop music that creates an air of excitement while singing about angst and emotional responses to life.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

16. We Were Promised Jetpacks-These Four Walls Their band name, We Were Promised Jetpacks, is inspired by a podcast from comedian Ricky Gervais. The Scottish quartet sing about getting past adolescence and dealing with adult decisions. Lead singer, Adam Thompson described the debut's title These Four Walls as to reference the home an adult is raised in and how its representation (family values,upbringing) alters with a grown up perspective. The band has found much success addressing heartfelt subject matter while playing their music at an ear piercing decibel. The third Scottish discovery by Fat Cat Records in as many years, the youngsters are a happy medium to the other two, The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit. Thompson's pain and misery is obvious in the crackle of his deeply accented wail in many of the songs' choruses, the anthemic sing along debut is an exploding punch in the face.

These Four Walls

15. The Rural Alberta Advantage-Hometowns This debut album from the Canadian trio, paints a country folklore tale with an eerie presence of mortality and nightmarish imagery. Within these eloquently delivered vignettes there is enough ambiguity for listeners to attach personal baggage to the themes addressed in lead singer, Nils Edenloff's personal recounting of his hometown. The stripped down instrumentation recreates an electro-pop ambiance which accents Edenloff's emotionally driven lyrics narrating his adoring love for everything rural. The RAA continue in the long tradition of a strong output of creatively bolstered musicians from Canada.

Hometowns

14. Passion Pit-Manners Bells and whistles open this debut album with lead singer, Michael Angelikos' piercing shrieks submerged in a sugary pool indie electro dance pop. There is a contrasting quality of substantive subject matter abstracted by these light-hearted melodies that hypnotically deter your attention from the matters of fact. Manners is a wondrous collection of songs playing soundtrack to the joyous and devilish impulses that lie within one's subconscious. A far cry from once was a Valentines gift to a college girlfriend.

Manners

13. Dan Auerbach-Keep It Hid I'm still unsure what cave I've been hidden to just have caught wind of the Akron blues duo The Black Keys. Regardless of the fact I get to reap the benefits of an excellent catalog of songs which re approach the medium of American-blues rock. While on hiatus, guitarist Dan Auerbach returned to his Akron analog studio to continue his personal exploration and furthering his investigation of finding new approaches of guitar play while retaining the classic tradition exhibited in his gritty style. As many of the familiar characteristics of the Black Keys are present in this new collection, Auerbach does an excellent job to challenge himself musically and reveal a scorned soul that finds a bittersweet comfort ability in solitude.

Keep It Hid

12. Cymbals Eat Guitars-Why There Are Mountains Joe Ferocious recalls Weezer as a huge influence in his musicality style that aided in his crafting the debut, Why There Are Mountains. Regardless of Joe's inspiration, CEG found a way to create a journey and exploration of a bright new world ahead of us approaching with a new found perspective. The lyrics tackle the darker aspects of one's self while exhibiting an awe struck love of the world's natural surroundings. An angst ridden piercing shrill exposes Joe's passionate contempt for complacency with an obvious desire to be uncaged and afforded the ability the necessary mistakes to grow.

Why There Are Mountains

11. Vivian Girls-Everything Goes Wrong At the conclusion of a relationship, many transitional emotions and actions occur. The dumpee prepares to move forward alone building up an emotional wall as the healing begins. Anger, resentment, denial, and tension are just some of the sensory responses present during this phase of repair. So enter the Vivian Girls sophomore album, Everything Goes Wrong a lo-fi diary of a scorned girl wanting to flex her muscles amidst fuzzy guitar rock. Continuing in the same direction as their self titled debut left off; Cassie,Katy and Ali move away from generalized statements in their songs and focus their energy on building an independent state of mind at the end of what seems a cancerous relationship. The album clocks in slightly longer, and exhibits a darker edge in the album's overall tonality.

Everything Goes Wrong

10. The Flaming Lips-Embryonic Approaching their twelfth album, a double disc nonetheless the Flaming Lips return to their roots of sound experimentation in a less polished fashion while creating an abstracted perspective on Coyne's usual themes of madness and isolation. Feeling much like a jazz infused gritty space odyssey, an epic drive at returning to the innovative psychedelic quandaries that allowed Wayne Coyne to express his hidden fears and imaginative theories of the social direction of the planet. I admit this may not be the most ideal Lips record for a new listener as Embryonic is a continuation of an existing discourse established decades prior.

Embryonic

9. St. Vincent-Actor There is a pleasant juxtaposition of a melodic,disarming, gentle voice with the dissonance of guitar feedback and jamming hooks that instantaneously have you nodding your head along. It took a while for me to come around and spend some time with Annie Clark but since our introduction I find myself constantly revisiting Actor. Her observations and outlook are very similar to my own as she paints a fantastical vision of the bleak, with her calm unfazed tone.

Actor

8. Animal Collective-Merriweather Post Pavilion I feel as though it has been a longstanding love/hate relationship with Animal Collective. There would be some amazing aspects of past albums that would bewilder me; while their constant experimentation sometimes fell off the deep end. In the onset recordings of MPP, the group shifted their focus and guitar-less music was written to substitute for the absence of Deakin (Josh Gibb). The result included the addition of sampling and the most harmonious marriage of experimental psychedelic sounds and intuitive recounting of moments of pleasure.

Merriweather Post Pavilion

7. Phoenix-Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix For their fourth album, the French quartet have really created their own identity in this polished indie pop style. They cold-heartedly approach romanticism building on past experiences and introducing a nostalgic undertone and a playful maturity that propels these French men's work to a cordon bleu level of Pop music.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs-It's Blitz From the first chords of "Zero" listeners are transported to a dance floor as the art school rejects of Brooklyn return for their third album, It's Blitz. The YYYs have had a helluva year between the rejuvenation of their post punk style recreating the 80s ballads with danceable beats while retaining an eternal pain revealed through her cryptic lyrics. Not to mention the opportunity for Karen O to exude her quirkiness, sound tracking Where the Wild Things Are for ex-beau Spike Jonze.

It's Blitz

5. Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca It has been a busy year in Brooklyn, as many of the summer's festivals featured an all Brooklyn band bill. Seeming an always evolving experimental group of musicians drawing from the positive attributes from whichever artist collaborates and contributes. Finding much success in graying the musical genre lines and incorporating aspects of R&B and this conceptually brilliant orchestral vocal style that re envisions the role of "composer". Lead, David Longstreth who proudly embodies that role has truly found his honest voice musically as the successes of Bitte Orca truly shape the direction of music. It is wildly imaginative and truly original.

Bitte Orca

4. The Antlers-Hospice By far the most written of band for "Drawing From Music" in 2009. The newly formed trio re imagine the work of lead, Peter Silberman; taking the most grim heart aching subject matter and translating it into a true opus of celebration. Not leaving any emotion unturned this saga unravels into a eerie hair raising epilogue leaving you with a desire to constantly replay. Whatever the truth behind Hospice's tale there is enough ambiguity for you to incorporate your own issues.

Hospice

3. The Decemberists-The Hazards of Love Little by little Colin Meloy has etched into our sub conscience these intricately scribed tales scratching at the scabs healed over from scorned loves and desires that never came to realization. With The Hazards of Love, what has been coined as a "Prog Opera" envisions an entire fantastical world of alter-egos who struggle with life decisions and the repercussions when a man thinks with his other "brain". It is difficult not to revisit this tale revealing many of its beautifully laid out dual meanings and complicated perspectives.

The Hazards of Love

2. Grizzly Bear-Veckatimest It wasn't easy to avoid the record which was coined as "the savior of indie rock". A truly amazing and heart stopping abstraction of good vs. evil. Daniel Rossen's sinisterly laid out words harshly contrast the angelic wail and enlighten words of Ed Droste. Paired with the fantastical Disney-like instrumentation of Chris Taylor; the listener has a bitter sweet reaction to the nostalgic realizations which come to surface as Veckatimest unravels and deconstructs the beauty within.

Veckatimest

1. Dark Was the Night-Compilation Originally conceived as a benefit CD for the Red Hot Organization. Comprised of 31 original tracks and curated by The National's Dessner brothers,which are either older tracks by the featured artists or favorite covers. From the onset of the disc, it is obvious this project was meaningful to everyone involved and is truly memorable with the caliber of collaborations throughout. I feel as though it has been ages since the last truly successful compilation that has deserved such attention and accomplishes the proposed goal.

Dark Was The Night

Since the Year 2000: Wolf Parade-Apologies to the Queen Mary

2009-12-17T09:51:00.012-06:00

Since the bunch of Canadians responsible for the bands Wolf Parade,Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, Handsome Furs and most recently Moonface made their initial appearance four years ago; we have had the listening pleasure of at least half a dozen albums. Namely Spencer Krug, who is either the commanding force or has had a hand in the creative drive behind the fore mentioned bands. The innovation and musical experimentation has not halted since their inception and the evolution of these bands have continued to etch a strong reputation in the music world for Canadian music scene. With all this said, it was the initial drum crash and wail of Spencer Krug in the first track from Apologies to Queen Mary, the introductory album by Wolf Parade that had my senses instantly on overload. A change in my musical taste at a time that had me discovering different groups and realizing the presence of the lesser known talents.

The album was comprised of a handful of new songs not included on the previous self-titled EP and an additional track reworked from Krug's Sunset Rubdown project. The title addresses crude actions and behavior that had the band removed from the ocean liner, Queen Mary. The band's sound had an originality, manipulating and marrying a variety of sounds and instrumentation creating this chaotic beauty. Of the various monikers, the music by Wolf Parade is the most straightforward and aims at a more grand scale. It seems Krug takes an ominous perspective on global observations while reflecting his self importance to society based on how his genetics affect the man he has become. Writing credits and vocals are split between Krug and guitarist Dan Boeckner who's contrasting perspectives broaden our horizons and equal a distorted harmony.

Spencer Krug Releases his Moonface EP digitally, while beseeching donations to his Credit Card Bills.

2009-12-17T09:50:00.004-06:00

The man behind most notably Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade has digitally released his new solo efforts under the moniker Moonface. His site offers the 20 minute single track EP for whatever donations available to aid in his pursuit to defeat his credit debt. The EP is a wonderful marriage of sounds of everything previous that Krug has collaborated his efforts towards. As noted in the album's title, Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums the primary use of Caribbean instrumentation paints a beach like environment while retaining Krug's usual surreal approach on the bigger picture in life. The album will be released via Jagjaguwar on January 26, but is still available to be downloaded digitally now on the Moonface site.

Moonface

Beck's Record Club (Why have I Been Missing Out on This?)

2009-12-14T14:08:00.006-06:00

During his hiatus between albums, Beck has found an interesting and entertaining way to keep himself busy. Among other things, produce on the new Charlotte Gainsborough record, IRM due out in the US in early 2010. Beck has also begun a side project with a variety of other artists called the Record Club. As a visual artist it reminds me of an impromptu figure session, an opportunity for artists of any medium to flex their creative muscles and challenge themselves in a classical tradition from a live model. In his own words below he describes the concept and premise behind this club.

"Record Club is an informal meeting of various musicians to record an album in a day. The album chosen to be reinterpreted is used as a framework. Nothing is rehearsed or arranged ahead of time. A track is put up here once a week. The songs are rough renditions, often first takes that document what happened over the course of a day as opposed to a polished rendering. There is no intention to 'add to' the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens."

Record Club

Imagine Sunny Skies with Avi Buffalo on Daytrotter

2009-12-11T15:21:00.005-06:00

With the frigid Chicago weathers still freezing my butt, I cant help but be grateful for Daytrotter's post today. Avi Buffalo is a band based out of Long Beach, California whose music intertwines angst ridden lyrics (appropriate enough with band members still completing high school)and a psychedelic beach haziness in each strum of the guitar. The West Coast warmth radiates off the four track session available to download, and cant help but bring back a nice reminiscence of the sunny winters I spent in California for grad school. Anyway, the band's debut album is set to release in 2010 with Sub Pop and are expected at this year's SXSW. To check the session along with Sean Moeller's eloquent words head to the link below.

Avi Bufalo @ Daytrotter

Avi Buffalo

Homework to Start the Holiday Weekend (Announcement of SXSW Bands Part 1)

2009-11-24T17:30:00.024-06:00

With a nice long weekend upon some of us and tables full of food to live off of for a week or so, I was excited to see the release of the first set of names who will be making the trek to Austin in March for the annual festival SXSW (South by Southwest...just in case). Obviously, it will take longer than the next five days to get through the list; but it's never too early to get started. After a quick scan down the alphabet there a definite familiar names that instantly excite me, while other names intrigue my curiosities. The very long list will appear after the jump. Everyone get your highlighters!!!

SXSW 2010 Showcasing Bands

*Information subject to change*

Aa (Brooklyn NY)
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO (Osaka JAPAN)
A Classic Education (Bologna ITALY)
Alpha Rev (Austin TX)
Amaral (Madrid SPAIN)
And So I Watch You From Afar (Belfast IRELAND)
Apostle of Hustle (Toronto ON)
Arms (Brooklyn NY)
Ólöf Arnalds (Reykjavik ICELAND)
Art vs Science (Surry Hills NSW)
A Shoreline Dream (Denver CO)
Nicole Atkins and The Black Sea (Asbury Park NJ)
Autumn Owls (Dublin IRELAND)
Bare Wires (Oakland CA)
Julian Berntzen (Bergen NORWAY)
Best Fwends (Austin TX)
The Black (Austin TX)
The Black Atlantic (Groningen THE NETHERLANDS)
Dan Black (Paris FRANCE)
Black Tide (Miami FL)
Bliss N Eso (Albert Park VIC)
Boom Boom Satellites (JAPAN)
The Boxer Rebellion (London UK-ENGLAND)
Break of Reality (New York NY)
B-Real of Cypress Hill (Los Angeles CA)
Broadway Calls (Rainer OR)
Broken Records (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND)
VV BROWN (London UK-ENGLAND)
The Brunettes (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)
Buckshot (Brooklyn NY)
Canja Rave (Porto Alegre BRAZIL)
Capsula (Bilbao SPAIN)
Carsick Cars (Beijing CHINA)
Caucus (Tokyo JAPAN)
The Chevelles (Melville WA)
Chew Lips (London UK-ENGLAND)
Suzanna Choffel (Austin TX)
Chris T-T (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)
C-Mon & Kypski (THE NETHERLANDS)
The Coathangers (Atlanta GA)
Simon Collins (Victoria BC)
The Constellations (Atlanta GA)
Contra Coup (Austin TX)
Cotton Jones (Cumberland MD)
The Crystal Method (Los Angeles CA)
David Dallas (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)
Dappled Cities (Sydney NSW)
Daveman (Berlin GERMANY)
The Daylights (Los Angeles CA)
The dB's (Chapel Hill NC)
Dead Sexy Inc (Paris FRANCE)
The Deaf (The Hague THE NETHERLANDS)
Deer Tick (Providence RI)
Delhi 2 Dublin (Vancouver BC)
Paul Dempsey (from "Something for Kate") (Melbourne NSW)
Diplomats of Solid Sound (Iowa City IA)
DJ Car Stereo (Wars) (Austin TX)
DJ Evil Dee (Brooklyn NY)
DJ Revolution (Los Angeles CA)
Daniel Francis Doyle (Austin TX)
Adiam Dymott (Goteborg SWEDEN)
The 88 (Los Angeles CA)
Electric Electric (Strasbourg FRANCE)
Val Emmich (Jersey City NJ)
Eternia (Toronto ON)
Everything Everything (Manchester UK-WALES)
Fanfarlo (London UK-ENGLAND)
Michael Feinberg (New York NY)
Fergus & Geronimo (Westway TX)
Fighting With Wire (Derry IRELAND)
FINALE (Detroit MI)
Floating Action (Asheville NC)
Francis (Borlange SWEDEN)
Robert Francis (Los Angeles CA)
Frightened Rabbit (Selkirk UK-SCOTLAND)
The Funeral Pyre (Los Angeles CA)
The Ganjas (Santiago CHILE)
Geeks (Tokyo JAPAN)
Gerald G (Austin TX)
Colin Gilmore (Austin TX)
Giulia y los Tellarini (Barcelona SPAIN)
Rosi Golan (New York NY)
Gong Myoung (Seoul KOREA)
Goober and the Peas (Detroit MI)
Good Shoes (London UK-ENGLAND)
Guitar Shorty (Harlingen TX)
Ha Ha Tonka (Springfield MO)
Halves (Dublin IRELAND)
Darren Hanlon (Sydney NSW)
Harlem (Austin TX)
Headdress (Austin TX)
Hey Colossus (London UK-ENGLAND)
Robyn Hitchcock (London CA)
Hot Panda (Edmonton AB)
The Hounds Below (Detroit MI)
I Fight Dragons (Chicago IL)
The Intelligence (Seattle WA)
Ivan & Alyosha (Seattle WA)
Japandroids (Vancouver BC)
Jazz One (Austin TX)
Stephen Jerzak (La Crosse WI)
John Dear Mowing Club (Den Haag THE NETHERLANDS)
The Jim Jones Revue (London UK-ENGLAND)
Jookabox (Indianapolis IN)
Julia Says (Sao Paulo BRAZIL)
Karnivool (Perth WA)
Kartick & Gotam (Chennai INDIA)
Kidz In Space (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)
Kidz In The Hall (Chicago IL)
Kingston (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)
Maurice Kirya (Kampala ZIMBABWE)
The Kissaway Trail (Odense DENMARK)
L.A.B. (Novo Hamburgo BRAZIL)
The Law (Dundee UK-SCOTLAND)
Vander Lee (Belo Horizonte BRAZIL)
Unni Lovlid (Oslo NORWAY)
Lowood (Stockholm SWEDEN)
Audra Mae (Los Angeles CA)
Malente (Essen GERMANY)
Natalia Mallo (Sao Paulo BRAZIL)
Mantles (San Francisco CA)
Julia Marcell (Berlin GERMANY)
Marco Polo & Torae (Brooklyn NY)
Mariachi El Bronx (Los Angeles CA)
Carolyn Mark (Victoria BC)
Maruosa (Tokyo JAPAN)
MegaRex (Sao Paulo BRAZIL)
The Middle East (Townsville QLD)
Middle Finger Salute (Blackburn UK-ENGLAND)
Miniature Tigers (Phoenix AZ)
Mixtapes & Cellmates (Stockholm SWEDEN)
Monarchs (Austin TX)
Michael Monroe (Helsinki FINLAND)
PJ Morton (Conyers GA)
Mountain Man (Bennington VT)
Movits! (Lulea SWEDEN)
Moxine (Sao Paulo BRAZIL)
Mr Sicc (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)
Mumiy Troll (Los Angeles CA)
My Dad is Dead (Chapel Hill NC)
Nailpin (Boom BELGIUM)
Nakia & His Southern Cousins (Austin TX)
NiCad (Den Haag THE NETHERLANDS)
9th Wonder (Raleigh-Durham NC)
The Novas (Dallas TX)
Jackie Oates (Exeter UK-ENGLAND)
One Night Only (Helmsley UK-ENGLAND)
1001 Nights Orchestra (Austin TX)
The Pack A.D. (Vancouver BC)
Paleo (Brooklyn NY)
Parlovr (Montreal QC)
Past Lives (Seattle WA)
The Peelies (Montreal QC)
Julie Peel (Montreal QC)
Mandi Perkins (Los Angeles CA)
Peter Wolf Crier (Minneapolis MN)
Pink Nasty (Austin TX)
Pivot (UK) (UK-ENGLAND)
P.K. 14 (Beijing CHINA)
Plants and Animals (Montreal QC)
Please The Trees (Prague CZECH REPUBLIC)
Steve Poltz (San Diego CA)
Andy Pratt (Amesbury MA)
Sean Price (Brooklyn NY)
Princeton (Eagle Rock CA)
Profetas (COLOMBIA)
Psalm One (Chicago IL)
Quantic and his Combo Barbaro (Cali COLOMBIA)
Random Axe (Brooklyn NY)
Rebelle (Den Haag THE NETHERLANDS)
Red Mass (Montreal QC)
Tommy Reilly (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)
Riverboat Gamblers (Austin TX)
The River Raid (Recife BRAZIL)
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Brooklyn NY)
Brisa Roche (Paris FRANCE)
Rock of Heltah Skeltah (Brooklyn NY)
Rogues (London UK-ENGLAND)
Ruste Juxx (Brooklyn NY)
San Saba County (Austin TX)
Scanners (London UK-ENGLAND)
Kate Schutt (Guelph ON)
Serious Sam Barrett (Leeds UK-ENGLAND)
Shit And Shine (London UK-ENGLAND)
Sixteen Deluxe (Austin TX)
Skyzoo (Brooklyn NY)
Small Black (Brooklyn NY)
Smif N Wessun (Brooklyn NY)
Smoosh (Seattle WA)
So Cow (Tuam IRELAND)
Solid Gold (Minneapolis MN)
Soulico (Tel Aviv ISRAEL)
So What (The Hague THE NETHERLANDS)
The Spring Standards (New York NY)
Sabrina Starke (Amsterdam THE NETHERLANDS)
Steel Train (Teaneck NJ)
StereoHeroes (Les Gorguettes FRANCE)
Surrounded (Malmo SWEDEN)
Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter (Seattle WA)
M. Takara 3 (Guarulhos BRAZIL)
Team Facelift (New York NY)
Thunder Power (Omaha NE)
Timber Timbre (Toronto ON)
Todd (London UK-ENGLAND)
Marques Toliver (London UK-ENGLAND)
Toolshed (London ON)
Trembling Bells (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)
Trespassers William (Seattle WA)
Twin Atlantic (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)
Two Star Symphony (Houston TX)
Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights (Dallas TX)
The Uglysuit (Oklahoma City OK)
Uncle Lucius (Austin TX)
The View (Dundee UK-SCOTLAND)
Volovan (Monterrey MEXICO)
Waco Brothers (Chicago IL)
Miho Wada (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)
Warpaint (Los Angeles CA)
Wave Machines (Liverpool UK-ENGLAND)
The Wave Pictures (London UK-ENGLAND)
We Are Scientists (New York NY)
We Are Wolves (Montreal QC)
Withered (Atlanta GA)
Wolf Gang (London UK-ENGLAND)
Woot (The Haque THE NETHERLANDS)
XV (Wichita KS)
The Yellow Dogs (Tehran IRAN)
YellowFever (Austin TX)
Zlam Dunk (San Marcos TX)
Zona Tango (Buenos Aires ARGENTINA)

*Information subject to change*

Chicago Hosts An Amazing Week of Exciting Music

2009-11-09T10:07:00.012-06:00

This evening kicks off what will be probably one of the final full weeks of bands either established or are emerging bright stars on the horizon of what's to come in the next year.

Monday:

To begin the week's festivities I recommend everyone to make their way to Schuba's Tavern for what I can expect to be and energetic and creatively enthralling performance from recent CMJ favorites, Fanfarlo and Freelance Whales.

Tuesday:

Now that everyone's blood is pumping, this evening's pick takes listeners to the Schuba's new venue taking residence in the old Three Penny Theater, Lincoln Hall. Featured on the evening's line up are another CMJer, Surfer Blood, who are opening for the established Art Brut exciting everyone about their newest release.

Wednesday-Friday

Beginning a three night stand, Schuba's will host, The Walkmen (not to mention, their openers White Rabbits). They will be appearing at both of the fore mentioned venues. The evening at Schuba's is sold out celebrating the venue's 20h anniversary; but I do believe tickets are still available for the Lincoln Hall nights. Thursday is definitely the most difficult in my opinion of options of which show would be preferable. The Walkmen will most definitely be finding a level of comfortability, this being their second evening in Chicago. The Swedish trio Peter, Bjorn & John will be nearyby at The Metro . On the West side, at the Empty Bottle the much buzzed about bands Girls and Real Estate are playing what should be an impressively intoxicating show. Friday does not make choices any easier, unless at this point everyone has had the opportunity to see the Walkmen. The Dirty Projectors will be appearing at the Bottom Lounge, while back at the Empty Bottle Girls return for a second evening this time with local up-and-comers The Smith Westerns.

Sunday

After taking a breather Saturday night, I suggest you make the best of the weekend and down to the South Loop, to Reggies Music Joint to check out Miles Benjamin Anthony, who is supporting his excellent sophomore release, Summer of Fear. He is currently touring with These Unites States, who are making a pretty big splash themselves in the music scene; with their heavy hitting American balladeering.

If for some reason your week is already booked up, and for whatever reason you can't make it out *cough wuss cough* check out the links below, everyone of the above mentioned artists deserves a full listen.

Miles Benjamin Anthony

These United States

Interview: Local Natives

2009-11-06T11:42:00.006-06:00

This week music fans residing in the UK, are getting to enjoy the debut album from our Silver Lake friends, Local Natives. As posted on their blog an US release date is still unknown at this point, but they will be trekking through North America in support of Gorilla Manor. More exciting for Chicagoans, the band will be making a stop at the newly christened Lincoln Hall on Thanksgiving week. I got a chance to talk to the band not once but twice getting a chance in this expanded interview with guitarist/vocalists Taylor Rice and Ryan Hahn.

Drawing From Music: I find there is a multitude of emotion that comes out with every verse, as though your songs are love letters to your past. Do you aim at your music to be more focused on the lyrics or the sound…how do you determine the balance of the two?

Taylor Rice: Our writing process is very collaborative, and as a result each song comes together differently. We spend a lot of time writing each song musically as a full group and everyone contributes to the arch and direction of the song. The lyrics tend to be more individual efforts, typically put forth by the writer who originated the song and is singing lead on it, but we even have a lot of collaboration in that area as well.

DFM: There is definitely a full bodied in the music played, almost if you took all the positive characteristics of three really great bands. What are some of the band’s musical influences?

TR: Harmony bands of the 60’s like The Zombies and Crosby Stills and Nash are vocal influences. Rhythmically we agree on identifying with modern bands like Broken Social Scene and Animal Collective. Musically I’ve been personally influenced by bands with an orchestral slant like Arcade Fire, Beirut, and Sufjan Stevens,

DFM: I read by day you are Taylor Rice, kitchen knife extraordinaire. How does touring affect your work schedule? Your bosses must be somewhat lenient…

TR: Actually, I am an independent contractor and therefore my own boss. The knife business has been good to me, but thankfully the band is picking up to the level where I don’t have to do the day job anymore. I’m happy to report I haven’t sold a knife for over two months.

DFM: Do you let current news related issues affect your creative/writing process with your music?

TR: Yeah. the writing process as an expression is inevitably impacted by what is going on in your life at the time, whether personally or on a broader level.

DFM: So what is the present status of Gorilla Manor…Is the 7” release of Sun Hands, a sign of good things to come?

TR: We’re very excited to be releasing a single with Chess Club in the UK, they are an amazing label and really great dudes. We are putting the finishing touches on Gorilla Manor and hope to find a home for the record in the next couple of months.

DFM: Has music always been a career goal or a distant fantasy? What were some of your musical upbringings…and how did the Local Natives come to be?

TR: This three part question needs a chronology:
So Ryan Kelcey and I grew up in Orange County. As tykes we were lucky enough to have dad’s that listened to the likes of Peter Paul and Mary, Beatles and Beach Boys. The three of us formed a guitar b and in high school, self taught by learning Metallica solos and gleaning the energy from the Orange County punk scene. We stayed together through going to separate colleges and then found Andy (bass) and Matt (drums) about three years ago. We’ve been playing together for a very long time so I think its safe to say everyone has always viewed this band as a career goal.

DFM: Do you have any concern about all the early buzz (much deserved in my opinion) that you guys are getting prior to your first album release? There are a few bands that come to mind that started off really strong and have been slightly lackluster afterwards…what are your thoughts on what you guys can do to avoid this?

TR: There is always the worry that the band will be written off as another buzz band without people actually looking into the music, but we’re confident in the record that we’ve made and I think good music always wins out in the end.

DFM: So far from what Ive read you guys were the busiest band at SXSW, was this the first time for you guys? How did an experience like that help you guys grow as a band and can we expect return trips?

TR: SXSW was insane. We played nine shows in four days and each one was packed with industry people who were checking out our band for the first time. Despite the obvious stress of a new band in that situation, we absolutely loved the experience. It was great to go from playing the pristinely acoustic room of the Central Presbyterian Church with Grizzly Bear to the 40 square foot bike shop with no sound system whatsoever and have both shows be great experiences. We will be returning for sure next year.

DFM: Do you think there were any creative sacrifices made in order to get this record signed to a label? I read somewhere that you are all musicians AND businessmen, what sort of compromises were necessary to move forward with Gorilla Manor, or is this exactly the record you guys always wanted to produce?

TR: We were completely independent throughout the writing and recording of this record (no management, label etc.), so there were no creative sacrifices at all in making the album. In fact that’s the first advice I would give to a starting band like us; make your record first, and then go to the industry.

DFM: Who are some of the bands out there you’re listening to? If you had a dream playbill who would it be?

TR: Veckatimist, though that’s on break now since we’ve been spinning it nonstop since sxsw. The new Dirty Projectors, St. Vincent’s new record Actor. I’ve also been listening to Of Montreal a lot recently since we got an amazing gig with them coming up in London. Dream Bill? Post Rubber Soul material Beatles and pre 1985 Talking Heads Reincarnate.

DFM:What sort of subject matter do you address or sing about n your music? Do you think of your music as more literal or abstract?

TR: Again because our music doesn’t stem from one primary writer, the answer is a bit more varied. I think in general though our lyrics and ideas tend to be a bit more literal than abstract. Everyone likes the occasional heavy handed metaphor but I tend to relate better with concrete writing.

DFM: The blog has kept us up to date with the craziness of your current tour…Are you guys driving all the way through? Is Amanda playing the entire tour? What has been the most interesting place so far?

TR: Man, the drives on this tour could seriously be in the running for record breaking. We drove from LA to NYC straight, stopping for 6 hours to sleep in Omaha. That is a 45 hour drive. We then drove 32 hours without stopping from Minneapolis to LA in order to make our Ben Kweller show. Amanda was able to take enough time off of her film festival duties to play the entire tour with us. Most interesting place? I’d have to say DC. We had the day off and I never got to take that 7th grade field trip, so Amanda and I went on a run in the morning to check out Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument etc.

DFM: I’ve noticed that Amanda’s (Salazar) has been included on some shows during the tour…is this going to continue? Is there a running ballot somewhere to make her the official sixth member? (sign me up…hahaha)

TR:Amanda is a great friend who we love playing with, though she is not in the band. We’ll continue to have her play with us whenever possible.

DFM: [Question for Amanda ] Hi Amanda, so tell me what’s your musical background? It seems like the rest of the band you’re inclined with the musical geniuses of playing what seems any musical instrument…

AS: I wish I were as impressive as you make me sound! I am merely a violinist by trade. I have been classically trained in the violin for about 12 years now. I have played in a few bands since I was 17 but mostly stuck to orchestras, small ensembles and private stuff.

DFM: [Question for Amanda] How did you get mixed up with these guys…and do you have any other projects in the works?

AS: It's a funny story really...I was invited to a local show by a friend of mine that was on the bill that night so I ended up going by myself to check it out. The after party was held at my friend's house and the Local Natives (under a different name at the time) came along. I was just talking in the kitchen about some rehearsal I had to go to when Taylor asked me what I played and if I would jam on a couple of songs with him. I went to a few shows and it started with me just playing on a few songs live and it slowly evolved into what it is now. It's now been over a year that I have been playing with the guys.

As for other projects, I have recorded and played some live shows with other local bands. I have some recording lined up in the near future and I play in a side project with Taylor and another member, Jesse Epstein, called The Payphones. I really just love playing as much as I can.

DFM: Since our last conversation it seems as though the UK has embraced the Local Natives as their own, obviously with the release of Gorilla Manor this month. Is it easier to break into the business by beginning abroad, or are signing and releasing an album internationally essentially the first steps?

Ryan Hahn: We’re as surprised as anyone by the reception we’ve gotten over there. You kind of assume that you’ll first find success closer to home. I don’t really try to rationalize it. We just want to play music for people who want to listen – wherever that might be. We’re still so new to all of this, so I won’t pretend to know what the best or easiest way is.

DFM: What can we (US) expect from Local Natives in 2010?

RH: We’ll be releasing the album stateside on February 16th through French Kiss. We’ll be back at SXSW in March and from there we’ll start a pretty hefty nationwide tour. It’s going to be our busiest year yet and we’re gonna be on the road for almost all of it – which is awesome.

DFM: I'm excited to see you guys in Chicago in the next couple of weeks, Im curious, how do you feel you guys have evolved in the past six months in live performances, with all the road experience you have since the last time I saw you? Is new material still being created or are all touring energies put towards getting everyone excited about Gorilla Manor?

RH: Playing live has always been our favorite aspect of this band. It’s been awesome to grow in that regard over the past couple months. I’d definitely say we’re a tighter, more confident band. There’s a lot of subtleties you pick up: non verbal cues between each other, learning how to compensate for shitty stage sound, how to conserve your voice, how to play off different crowds, and so on.

DFM: How did CMJ go? How many shows did you guys end up playing, and who were some of the bands that really excited that were out there?

RH: It was nuts.Kind of a chaotic blur. We played 6 shows total – the best one being this sweaty loft party thrown by Brooklyn Vegan.We really didn’t get out much too see any bands unfortunately – I think we underestimated how jet lagged and exhausted we’d be coming straight off our tour overseas.

DFM: If you were to tell a story, or paint a picture that would best describe your music to someone who has never heard it, how would it be?

RH: We could probably play a few of our songs just using kitchen utensils and singing. Maybe.

DFM: If one were to run a background check on you what would they learn?

RH: I was born in Portsmouth, England and I lived in Singapore for a good part of my childhood.

DFM: If there were any character in history from any media (TV, literature, comics, etal.) that you would best liken yourselves to who would it be? Why?

RH: Kelcey would be Tom Hanks from Castaway. Matt would be the Volcano from Dante’s Peak. Taylor would be Julia Roberts from Hook. And Andy would be James Franco from Freaks and Geeks.

DFM: What albums would you say were most memorable for you since the year 2000?

RH:
Blur – Think Tank

Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – Source Tags & Codes
The Strokes – Is this It
The Notwist – Neon Golden
Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Gorillaz – Demon Days
Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak

DFM: Los Angeles has such a positive reputation for the output of bands it produces. Who are some of those current bands that really excite you? Who are some bands that you feel you should pimp?

RH: Voxhaul Broadcast, Rumspringa, Dawes, Foreign Born, Fool’s Gold, Pepper Rabbit. A little bit further south in Orange County and Long Beach there’s the Union Line, Aushua, Delta Spirit and the Growlers, all of whom are amazing bands.

DFM: Finally, aside from music, what would you say is a personal outlet for you?

TR: Doing active things. The road can be kind of sedentary, so it’s always nice to come home so I can run around the Silverlake Reservoir. There’s also pickup basketball a mile from our house that I play with friends in some other local bands.

[Live Review] Kittens Ablaze, Chicago, Reggie's,11.2.09

2009-11-03T00:30:00.013-06:00

With the ability to only look on from afar I was really excited to learn about the abundance of talented crop of new bands that were getting buzz out of this year's CMJ in New York. Of course, as many of my friends will probably ridicule me, many bands come with the imaginatively invented names that at times are even a mouthful when mentioning. I then began to scan through many of the band's pages determining when they may be stopping through Chicago so I knew when I would be able to check them out first hand. As luck would have it, I did not have to wait long; Kittens Ablaze out Brooklyn NY were heading to the South side to Reggie's Music Joint as an opening band, supporting their release, The Monstrous Vanguard.

Six seemingly being the new three for a band to roll, KA come armed with keyboards and and a full strings section, the lovely Michelle Young and Jenny Bress. Amid the noisy joint and big screens of Monday Night Football at the bar, the band begins playing in midst of tuning up. Not really expecting it, the vocals came from the drummer, Tim Spellman; off the bat there is a high intensity and playful energy is emitted from the stage. Its intriguing to see how alternate bands utilize a variety of instrumentation and the variety of sounds and genres that are intertwined in their influence to create a truly original voice of the band's conscious thoughts. The band introduces themselves and noting this their first visit to Chicago before hammering right back into the set. Each member plays with such fierceness (if this is a sign of the next breed of music to arrive in this next year, everyone better buckle up and prepare for an excitingly loud and orchestrated celebration of a breed of conceptual indie pop fusion rock). Spellman enjoying accents has now greeted the crowd in a British dialect and thanked us in Spanish. For the next song, Michelle takes a seat at the ledge of the amp to pick away at her cello for the next more slower tempo song, ultimately rising back to her feet as the the speed and intensity pick up to a roof raising high. There are at times these distorted explosions of noise that break into this melodious tune. Grant Rafter, who seemed to be an instrumentalist extraordinaire at times is thrashing about the stage in an attempt to rile up the decent turnout of Chicagoans(side note: the similarly looking Nate Senge and Nick Dalton round out the rest of the band and are worth the mention as there was no unsung band member on stage). At times Spellman's high octave wail of lyrics is reminiscent of a young Conor Oberst overpowering the pleasant streaking of violin.

There is a definite chaotic beauty to the way the band appropriates themselves about stage. With a diligent focus on their music and continuously unveiling another instrument, conversation was almost non existent as the band plays without a breath between song growing in intensity while bouldering through their set. I sometimes find myself taken aback watching each member play to seemingly their own beat translating this disorganized chaos into a harmonious unified beauty. The players switch around and Spellman is now standing before us at the mic, announcing this next song is a new one. Pain and emotion expressed on both girls' faces as they saw through their instruments as everyone screams a chorus, "this will make it better!!" There is a level of epic sound that resonates through each instrument while the band members are eager to sing along, when they're not insanely focused on their intricate play. All of this adds to the pleasant noise of the instruments fighting each other for the loudest presence. The band ends with the reannouncing of their name, " We are Kittens Ablaze from Brooklyn New York, Thanks" and exit stage left.

Kittens Ablaze

The Antlers on Daytrotter: A Ray of Light on this Rainy Day

2009-10-30T16:39:00.007-05:00

As the boys of The Antlers make their trek through the West Coast and California before heading out to Europe; our friends at Daytrotter released their session today for our listening pleasure. It has been an awesome year for the trio as I suspect Hospice will land very high on many people's yearly top list of albums. I have had the pleasure of seeing them perform live three times this year at Pitchfork, Monolith and on their own tour. Not to mention, the opportunity to interview them early on. They are such a great bunch of guys who I have enjoyed getting to know better and deserve all the success they've had thus far. If you haven't had the chance you better jump on the wagon. I have been anticipating this since Michael mentioned their session to me back in July.

The Antlers @ Daytrotter

Interview: Beach House

2009-10-27T23:47:00.007-05:00

In the spirit to attempt to recover from last week's tragedy, I will be posting much of last week's planned items. To update you, I am still without a primary computer posting whenever the opportunity is available. To kick off, the redux of last week's posts is my interview with Beach House. I had the pleasure to sit down with them when they came through Chicago last month with Grizzly Bear. That evening was Victoria's first run through of a live performance of "Slow Life" returning to stage during the GB set. Prior to the evening's show we spoke about their excitement to begin recording their next album and Victoria's new rain slicker she picked up that afternoon. It was a blast meeting and learning of their plans for the upcoming album, to be released by new label Sub Pop in the beginning of 2010. Alex Scally is climbing walls with excitement about their new material and imaginatively defining their music style visually.

Drawing From Music: Your music both lyrically and in the variety of orchestrated instrumentation lends itself to be from an earlier romanticized generation. Would you say you're old souls or is there an influence from a specific era?

Victoria Legrand: Our influences have come from so many things, we're not attached to the past. We are very much into making music with whatever we're into.

(Alex Scally quickly joins us as we are just beginning our Q&A session, having finalized upcoming recording sessions)

DFM: If one were to run a background check on you what would they learn?

VL: I am gonna stick with no comment
AS: I studied Geology, I went from rocks to rock. I'm a science nerd, excited anytime I pick up a Scientific America.

DFM: If you were to tell a story, or paint a picture that would best describe your music to someone who has never heard it, how would it be?

AS: We should talk about what our new stuff would be like. It's more exciting to talk about. The painting would not be complex from far away but intricacies up close, bold colors. (At this point, he enthusiastically paints the imagery with this light in his eye) We are just a chip that God dips into the salsa of life.
VL: We should make a song called, “good dips”

DFM: What would you say is the constant idea or themes you try to address in your music? Would you describe your music as more abstract or literal?

VL: Let's go with abstract for $500...it's not like heartbreaking, my heart is like a triangle
AS: The new record is ecstatic, a passionate teenage love story

DFM: The layers and styles that are emitted in your music seem endless. Who were some of your biggest influences at an early age and how have they changed through the years?

VL: Michael Jackson (unfortunately since his death, it seems like the answer of the year, but he really was...I cant help it), Andrew Lloyd Weber*, Tom Petty, Children's TV (Mr. Rogers)
AS: A “shit-ton” of Bob Marley, The Beatles,Velvet Underground

* Victoria's excitement is emitted as she vividly describes the first scene from Act II of Phantom of the Opera. The skull in the masquerade part, the oppressive scene; she didn't exclude any detail regarding this red velvet scene.

VL: My biological father is a painter, a realist. He did all the sucky things you have to do to survive as an artist...commissions for annoying people until it drove him crazy.
DFM: What sort of stuff is he painting now?
VL: I don't know what he's doing now, he just gave me this nice painting of a bouquet of flowers, nice colors.

As Victoria have gotten a bit off conversation, we have turned to see Alex has scaled the wall in the room responding to Daniel Franz (the band's touring drummer) introduced to me as D, their most awesome drummer. He greets me overlooking the same wall...After a laugh, Alex sits back down ready for the next question.

DFM: What are your roots as musicians? Who were some of the musical influences that aided in the molding of the musicians you are today?

VL:We're both classical people. I like to play Chopin and romantic piano things. I also like dance things, pop music.
AS: I also took lessons as a teenager, and played with 4 tracks putting music together at an early age.

DFM: Are there any bands or music that you're listening to lately? Any bands you enjoyed touring with this summer?
VL: “Deadbeat Summer”, by Neon Indian...Theres a resurgence of old stuff with youtube..we've toured a lot. Avi Buffalo, they're young and have their whole life in front of em.
AS: There are a ton of great bands, so many people are making awesome music lately. Definitely Neon Indian and the new Fever Ray.

DFM: If there were any character in history from any media (TV,literature,comics, etal.) that you would best liken yourself to who would it be? Why?

VL: I don't know who'd I identify with.
AS: Someone I definitely identify with is Wayne Coyne, he is just so full of life. Not sure if I'm like him but more aspire to be like.

DFM: And finally, aside from music what would you say are some personal outlets for you?

VL: Clothes, costumes, my cat, I studied theatre in college and afterward, it's a dying format.
AS: Listening to music, building stuff to make music

Beach House will be touring through the States and then Internationally for a while with Grizzly Bear, definitely worth checking out if they head your way. At this point, there's no real idea concrete details on the duo's third album or when it should be released on Sub Pop.

Beach House

Service Interruption

2009-10-21T19:50:00.005-05:00

I sit here typing quickly on another's computer (a PC nonetheless). Unfortunately my laptop is non functioning as it appears the hard drive may have seen its last day. My primary focus at this point is to attempt to retrieve whatever data is possible, as some articles weren't backed up yet. With New Moon, the next in a mediocre film series arriving in theaters this week and a soundtrack that far exceeds it (sans a few bands *cough* Muse). If you have not checked out the album, you cannot miss Grizzly Bear's most excellent contribution "Slow Life" which features vocals from Victoria Legrand. I hope to soon be back in commission before the week's end, or willingness for others to allow me access to their computers. In the meantime, enjoy the dreamy sounds of Ed and Victoria.

"Slow Life"

Horchata

2009-10-05T13:33:00.003-05:00

Horchata [or-chata]

-noun

1. Extremely popular in Spain and Mexico, a cold beverage made by steeping nuts, grains or chufa in water. Usually lightly sweetened with sugar and sometimes spiced with cinnamon. They come in a wide variety of flavors.

2. Extremely popular in the Indie music scene, Vampire Weekend's first single from their highly anticipated sophomore album, Contra. The expected release date is January, 12, 2010.

(Much like the band's catalog of music thus far, "Horchata" paints an imaginative image from a pleasant memory. The beverage seemingly stimulates a nostalgic sensation for the band, whom return to the music scene with heavy hitting African inspired drumbeats laced with Ezra Koenig's sweet laced alto yelp, amid a harmony contrasting the overall tonality of the track.)

Vampire Weekend

Artwork will Return Soon

2009-09-18T17:18:00.003-05:00

Whether it be I am finding much success with my pursuits with this site or the year is getting away from me and there may be a little too much on my plate. I am not sure which is the more viable reason. Regardless of the fact, at this point I must focus a lot of my creative energies on some new works that will be featured in an upcoming solo exhibition this December. Once these pieces have been completed expect an open flood gate of supporting artwork to reveal themselves with a large number of the existing posts. Sorry for the misrepresentation and thanks for the patience.

[Live Review] Ra Ra Riot, Chicago, Schuba's Tavern, 9.16.09

2009-09-17T00:36:00.005-05:00

Arriving in time to cover both bands sets and making my inaugural trek to Schubas Tavern, passing through the bar with the venue’s open doors in front of me. “You’re not on the list’, dead in my tracks I was halted to hear a nicely balanced set from the openers, Princeton from the wrong side of the doors. By some lucky grace, the Gods of Schubas were kind enough to allow me entrance for the evening’s headliners Ra Ra Riot. It’s a sold out crowd and is obvious as the small room continues to get packed like canned sardines. The lights go out and the band emerges on stage. Wes very grateful thanks everyone for coming out and introduces the band, Ra Ra Riot. Mathieu’s bass begins to thump hard, as he dances around stage leading us in. The string section, Ali and Becca chime in with a bow; it seems as though everyone is getting in sync as they play through this melodic bass-thumping tune. The strings continue, drums lead into “Each Year” there is so much energy coming off the stage, as Wes dances about with his mic stand. Everyone seemingly jovial, tapping a foot or bouncing back and forth. RRR is rhythmically demonstrating why their live performances are so buzzed about. It’s a like musical ADD, as the drums continue to crash down, strings passionately play on, and a continuous motion occurs on stage. In between verses, Wes moves over to the keyboard to contribute to the instrumental fun, singing with high energy and emotion in every line.

Wes makes small commentary about the crowds respectability, thanking everyone; Becca and Ali patiently wait for the drum count with such focused and concentrated expressions. Strings lead us into “Oh La” Wes is up and down all over the place, as the tempo rises with the percussion. The stage is exploding with enthusiasm. The lovely ladies of the string section lead us out with a symphonic melody. A very gracious guest, Wes thanks the crowd once more, innocently admitting he has forgotten what song is next as he stalls before beginning, “Suspended in Gaffa”. Much like the lyrics dictate, the bands performance feels similar to a light-hearted jaunt as you can almost imagine them to begin levitating above the stage. There is a persisting sense of amazement as band members alternate spots breathlessly without skipping a beat in a flawless performance. In a narration of older times, describing his nostalgic ties to Schubas, Wes shares a tale of the onset of the band’s career and videos that can be found on Youtube. “If you want to see me more awkward than I am right now, you should look them up”. (Drum roll, cymbal crash)
Heavy banging drums begin, and Wes has returned to his keyboard to serenade the crowd with, “Can You Tell”. Guitars are kissing; drums continue to crash and strings play in sync. Everyone on stage evenly creates his or her own presence; the other upstages no one. Responding to requests for Discovery songs, (the lead singer’s side-project with the keyboardist from Vampire Weekend) playing the obscure favorite “ A Manner to Act” from their self-titled EP. Mathieu stomps around with demonstrative bass play as the strings recommence with “Ohs” all around lead into “Ghost Under Rocks”. The band comes to a muted silence as Ali’s sweet and sultry voice delivers the final verse, until the high rising tempo returns and crashes down onto the drums. We are promptly lead into “Too Too Too Fast” Ali has moved over to the keyboard, her play in contrast to that of Wes’s sounds to have derived from a classical training. Arriving at the final two songs of the evening’s set, the band’s energy and intensity are raised above the peak levels of tempo expectation. Wes plays around the orchestrated claps of the crowd as the band extends their conclusion instrumentally. After a brief moment of applause, the band returns for an encore, beginning what sounded like new material. It was a full-bodied slower tempo track laced with sweet lyrics. Ali slow dances, as the song is gently unraveled to a guitar lead out. The intensity and high tempo return in full-force for the band’s big finale leaving the crowd excited and inspired.

Ra Ra Riot

RRR-Myspace

Passion Pit-Manners

2009-09-15T18:07:00.006-05:00

Passion Pit emerged onto the scene late in 2008, with their immediately popular EP, Chunk of Change. A project started as a Valentines present by Michael Angelakos for his girlfriend while in school in Buffalo, NY. After graduating and returning home to Boston, Passion Pit took on life, fleshing out Angelakos’ previous work and quickly gaining acclaim. Their musical styles fuse high-energy pop with psychedelic tinge electronic sounds with a scratchy high-pitched voice, which inspires listeners to dance and celebrate life. The band quickly followed this success with their debut album, Manners on Frenchkiss Records. Manners is a wondrous collection of songs playing soundtrack to the joyous and devilish festivities of imps, elves and whatever fantastical forest creature the imagination can create.

With the ringing bells of the opening track “Make Light” Passion Pit sets the tone of the level of expectation of the records overall tonality. There is a contrasting quality of logical subject matter masked by these lighthearted melodies that hypnotically deter the listener’s attention from the matters of fact in his/her life. “Little Secrets” the second track on the album incorporates a children’s choir handling the song’s chorus. This is one of many facets of this album exhibiting the creative ingenuity of how Passion Pit approach their craft with a fresh voice while retaining nostalgic qualities successful for their POP music predecessors.
Another obvious strength in Manners is the fact each track has the capability to stand alone without the reliance of an album gimmick or the over exposure of countless radio play. The subtle sentiments of Angelakos’ lyrics predominantly in Chunk of Change, are often masked by the fast tempo, high energy synthesizer and danceable beats in Manners; creating an evolved context by the collaborative efforts of the more fleshed out band. The band has made a number of appearances at this summer’s more notable music festivals and has been on an endless tour promoting Manners. The continuous live performances have strengthened a once very disappointing live realization of their synthesized album tracks. Manners has begun a reinvention of the band’s sound and is showing early indications of how this quick success is becoming evidence of the band’s longevity. I am curious to see if these accomplishments will affect the band’s creative approaches on the evolution of their music.

Passion Pit Myspace

Passion Pit

We Were Promised Jetpacks-These Four Walls

2009-09-15T11:18:00.008-05:00

We Were Promised Jetpacks are the third most recent band out of Glasgow Scotland, who are gaining quick acclaim and are touring the states with their hometown pals The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit (incidentally the other two Glasgow bands). In contrast of the three bands Jetpacks are a happy medium in style and sound. There is a loudness and adoration for guitar driven rock present in their sound that sometimes can exceed the reputation of the Twilight Sad. At the same time, Adam Thompson is able to beseech our sympathy and find a sort of relatability to the words and themes in his songs, much like Scott Hutchinson of Frightened Rabbit. These Four Walls is the debut album from the Scottish quartet, the band described the title in an interview as something addressing the concept of one’s upbringing and the values instilled by his/her family and the transformation of that home life’s groundwork into its functions as an adult.

“Its Thunder Its Lightning” slowly introduces the listener to the band’s sometimes gloomy but idealistically youthful perspective on life. Thompson’s delivery of lines is a melodious belch of words finding a pleasant harmony with the high-energy up-tempo instrumentation that power drives us through the album. An abundance of catchy hooks and anthem like choruses retain a sing a long quality, creating a difficulty at times to dismiss its continuous presence in your head. “Conductor” the album’s fourth track, slows down the overall pace to exhibit Adam’s stripped down Scottish dialect gently serenading us through the tribulations of his young adult life.
“A Half Built House” much like its title investigates new realms in the band’s direction. It showcases an allusion for post rock qualities creating an instrumental piece hinting at an epic path in the band’s musical intent. Each member’s presence resonates throughout the album, from Darren Lackie’s tribal sounding beat in “Short Bursts” and Sean Smith’s tings on the xylophone, accenting the melodious guitar work by Adam and Michael Palmer. By the concluding tracks of the album, “Keeping Warm”, the band resumes instrumental leg-stretch with a majestically grand build up raising the listener’s spirits while summing up the album’s focus on an introspective reflection on becoming an adult. We are left feeling pity and dealing with our own miseries as scathed heart of lead, Adam is exposed and expressed through is angst ridden, thick Scottish accented, cracking voice declares a final exhalation of affection.

We Were Promised Jetpacks

Jetpacks-Myspace

Monolith Festival: Day 2

2009-09-14T21:35:00.003-05:00

I arrived at Red Rocks early in the day’s lineup, the skies were clear and there was a light breeze that blew over the venue. I was excited to see the young lads from Glasgow, We Were Promised Jetpacks, who commence their nation wide tour with Scottish pals, Frightened Rabbit and Twilight Sad. Arriving promptly just prior to their set I was not expecting for the WOXY stage to be once again to capacity so early in the day. I had some time on my hands since the majority of the bands on my list to see played later in the afternoon along with my interviews who weren’t anytime near. I had the pleasure of floating around the venue to reflect upon the evening prior’s experience and enjoying the various acts in the background. There was a sort of peacefulness and sense of serenity that falls over you with these natural backdrops and the dissonance of clashing drums and shredding guitars. My curiosity was peaked for certain bands, but again knowing I had the remainder of the Scots and Bad Veins to interview, I wasn’t sure how many acts I was going to get to thoroughly review today. After my conversation with James Graham from The Twilight Sad and Jetpacks overwhelming excited thumbs up, I could not resist getting an early spot at the WOXY stage for The Twilight Sad’s set.

The Twilight Sad- WOXY

Lights dim, the drums pound hard, James Graham begins to dance with the mic as we are slowly led into the music. Looking upward, James begins to sing, slowly unraveling us into their gloomy dim world. As their chorus dictates for people dancing, James continues his Scottish jig while cymbals crash and distortion in the guitar continuously rings. The drum counts down and the tempo rises as the strobe begins to flash throughout the room, James has fallen to his knees belting out lines. Andy Macfarlane slows down his guitar play and the drums ring back in. At this point, rumors have proved true of the band’s deafening quality as they ring in harmony, following James who is heaving himself about the stage wailing his supernatural anxieties into the air. The bassist, Craig Orzel stands stonewall facing the crowd effortlessly thumbing through his strings. James garbles out in his barely understandable dialect an introduction into the next song and thanks everyone for showing up. The drums lead us into his lyrics are softly delivered in a crooning manner, the drums become louder and James is now screaming at the top of his lungs, his eyes rolled back in a possessed manner. They are an orchestrated symphony of sadness. At this point, an issue arises with the bass amp. James attempts to subdue the crowd, “The bass amp is fucked, I wish I was funny right now, I would tell you something, but I’m not”. The crowd chatters as the band awkwardly stand about stage waiting for the issue to be resolved, Sean from Jetpacks notes to me the amp is shared between the three bands and some shopping will have to be done prior to their next show in Salt Lake.

Crisis is diverted and James garbles out the title, “” joking he never really became one. The music returns and James continues to move up and down and all over the stage in a hauntingly crazed manner chanting the chorus in the air with the crashing drums around him. With an expression of agony, James is leaning against his mic stand, dancing and belting lyrics inaudibly upward. The distortion and dissonance rings throughout as James sips from his pint. James’ melodious crooning sound returns his eyes leave the impression his mindset may be elsewhere allowing his words to transport himself through his subconscious. He indistinguishably introduces the next song for the Arse holes from Jetpacks (note: I had to have a Jetpacker translate for me) James resumes his stage dance as the tempo and volume rise beyond the standard decibel of loud. Staring outwards, as the lights flash about in a flailing manner, it feels as though we are amidst a melodic nightmare. Inaudible yells and a slow lead in, softly laid out with a passionate exhale. James resembles the horror flick character, Carrie as though just doused in cow’s blood, staring out into the darkness as the chords ring out the ending of the set.

After a scheduling switch up when MSTRKFT dropped out of the festival, Phoenix moved down to the Esurance stage leaving Passion Pit to take over their slot. Unfortunately with this alteration, I wasn’t able to catch the PP set in its entirety. I had been curious all summer as the buzz surrounding their live performance was that it didn’t match the quality of the sound created on the album. When I finally did make it to the SOCO stage, the crowd was already elbow-to-elbow of drunken festival goers raucously dancing and singing along with the band. I have to say from everything I saw and heard there was no disappointment from my part. Whether others have had unrealistic expectations for a live show or the constant touring has matured the group creatively, I can’t say there was any real low point in their set list. The performance was high energy and excited the crowd, finding authentic ways to recreate what was originally synthesized on the album. I held out as long as I could before retiring to the interview my final band of the evening.

The final band I was truly excited over this weekend’s festival, was Phoenix the indie pop band from France. This summer they have been touring the States supporting their most recent release, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. After a longer period to tune and set up on the Esurance stage, I’m assuming because of the lineup switch and the hassle of moving everything . Phoenix appeared on stage in the midst of a dark cloud of smoke. They begin the set with the new album lead in, “Lisztomania” crouching through minimal light Thomas Mars delivered the lyrics with high tempo and energy. They steadily grooved through their set exciting the large crowd who showed up to dance along to their French Pop sound. Although Laurent Brancowitz, guitarist was having issue with his amp outputting a nasty feedback the band continued on flawlessly. Mars expressed gratitude before proceeding on. With the lights flashing in and out a happy balance is created in sound and atmosphere. I begin my final walk up the stairs having to make my way back to the hotel, prep time for a 5a wake up. In the distance, as I depart I hear Mars playing into the crowd as the drums are pounded and the loud guitars are ringing through the Colorado misty air. Until next year, I depart with a number of great memories and amazing images to reminisce.

Monolith Festival: Day 1

2009-09-13T09:54:00.006-05:00

The Antlers-WOXY

After what seemed like the longest ten minutes, The Antlers step onto stage comically requesting everyone to watch their language. Melodically commencing with “Bear” Peter softly delivers the opening lines. Swaying back and forth, leading up to Michael’s drums kicking in. Peter’s octave rises along with the band’s intensity. The crowd continues to grow in the tight and compact space where the WOXY stage is situated. Darby’s hair hangs over his eyes, while Peter is on his knees as they transition into the first song’s big ending. Silence is upon us, while Peter switches out his guitar and makes some “Thank Yous”. Drum count, hard smash, Peter hunched, everyone is bouncing to Michael’s tribal beat, distortion rings. Peter leads us into the chorus of “Sylvia”. Touring has already matured their sound since Pitchfork, bringing a darker edge to the music’s tonality. Tempo is high, drums bring a more distinctive quality to the sound. Peter screeching, Sylvia!!! in his last gasp of breath, obvious how emotionally important the subject matter is to him. He softly thanks us before the cymbals crash right into “Kettering”, his guitar play seems looser and more comfortable. The mics break up and the music stops on the crunchy sounding dispense of lyrics.

They restart from the beginning, Peter dances and bounces facing the drum set before he elevates his voice to the next octave. In between songs, Michael graciously mentions how the crowd was definitely worth the 30-hour cross-country drive from New York, Peter follows up with another affable thanks. “Two” begins off with the band leading in with hoots into those familiar first lines “In the middle of the night I was sleeping sitting up..” There really has been a re energization of the context in these songs, creating an overall happier sensation. Tempo rises and the crowd sways and dances. Tempo rises and the crowd sways and dances, before heads are banging and strong playing resumes. The hoots and moans return before Peter strums to a muted end. Silence falls upon us and Peter’s “Epilogue” begins. A more stylistic direction of the set brings this on the whole, celebratory context. The muted instrumentation spotlight Peter’s vocal symphony. Warming feeling rising with the volume. Darby commences the processional hymn, Peter stands in reflection. Michael punches his drums hard, Peter’s shreds return and it becomes a punchy dance to lead us out.

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down- Esurance Stage

The band nonchalantly walks onto stage, welcomed by fans and a steady breeze running through the mountains. Thao Nguyen shakes off her shivers and they begin to play. I was curious to see their stage presence not knowing too much about the band or their sound prior to this weekend. The was comprised primarily of tracks off their most recent album, We Brave Bee Stings and All and few teasers from the upcoming album, Know Better Learn Faster. Only taking up a small portion of the stage but created excitement in the crowd with enjoyable tunes and toe tapping beats. Thao thanks us before commencing a human beat box intro, while plucking at her strings into “Bag of Hammers”. Attracting seemingly a fairly young crowd dancing and shaking around with the band’s joyful folk tinged melodies. In between songs, she tells us of a fond memory of hers at Red Rocks. She had come to see Neil Young at an early age but unfortunately couldn’t remember much of the experience because of the abundance of “whatever” she had smoked. From the new songs they played during their set there was a nice hard beat and an up and down tempo exhibiting a variety of musical influences in its sound. It lead her right into the crowd favorite “Beat” Nguyen sings with a jazzercise standstill dance strumming away. The drummer, Willis Thompson begins to lead the crowd to clap into a clapping chorus. Her sweet raspy delivers each line as a nice harmony of instrumentation with a heavy steady pound on the drums accompanies her. She hoots along as she plays, leading the claps again; apparently a staple in their music. At some point all band members including Nguyen, pull out their drumsticks and start a drum jam, beating at the skins. A faint yelp from Thao is heard and she returns to her guitar. There is a hint of an oriental infusion in the melody that pleasantly compliments the style and aesthetic of their music. Overall, it was a nicely laid out set, playing well to the crowd and exhibiting a brilliant range of sound and emotion.

Frightened Rabbit- Esurance Stage

The crowd begins to file in, as there is a drizzle of rain in the sky. We stand waiting for Scott Hutchinson and crew to finally arrive on stage thanking everyone for their presence. Excited to see another performance since their stint in Chicago for the Pitchfork Festival. “Modern Leper” begins the set with high tempo and comfort ability as Scott easily unravels his emotional aftertaste from a past heartbreak. As the play gets louder, the crowd continues to get larger. “The altitude already has me woozy and I’ve only had one beer”, jokes Hutchinson in that same humorous stage commentary I recall from their previous performance I witnessed. The lyrics he fervently belched reverberates up along the rocks as his heart is laid out on display once again. “Is the rain finished…Fuck It!!! exclaims Scott lightly strums us into “Good Arm vs. Bad Arm”. He screeches along while dancing back and forth with the mic stand, and the rest of the band finds a melody harmonizing with backup Ohs! At one point, he leans back towards the sky while strumming and bring the tempo back up screaming the chorus,” at arms length”. A decent turnout braves the chilly rain as the clouds darken the sky. Tempo raises and the drizzle becomes a steady rainfall. With a plan to split up the hour between Frightened Rabbit and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the final song in the set for me began with a misqueue, Scott quick apologizes as his set list just blew away and correcting the error, “Old, Old Fashion”. As I start my hike up the mountain of stairs to the SOCO stage, I see Scott in the distance raising his hands requesting the crowd to participate in the chorus. As I made my way towards the Pains stage, the crowd was sizeable and the energy from stage was as suspected super high tempo, playfully jamming to the rain. Unfortunately, the rain wasn’t in my cards at the moment and listened to their joyful wonderfulness from the distance of the media tent. I was definitely grateful I had the pleasure of enjoying their full set in Chicago earlier in the week.

Rain blew over the venue around the same time as my meeting with various bands to interview and photograph. It was fortuitous in a sense but at the same time, being hyped to finally see Cymbals Eat Guitars I had to unfortunately miss out as capacity was reached at the WOXY stage and the fire marshal did not allow any more entries. Shooting up to the SOCO stage hopefully to ignore the rain and check out The Walkmen who were in midst of the set. Although outside, the crowd was overwhelmingly large and I once again resorted to returning to the media tent, I enjoyed their set from a distance while having the opportunity to meet some really great bands in the process. During that time night fell upon us along with a steady rain.

At some point, I ventured back out into the evening’s sets as the sky continued to fall and a brisk wind blew through the Colorado mountains. Even from a distance the performance on the Esurance stage appeared different and as though a raving party had taken over it. In fact, the mish mash dj, Girl Talk had commenced his set and had invited a stage full of dancers who were getting down to his nasty mixes. The rain did nothing but fuel the energy emitting from and around the stage and in the crowd. Girl Talk’s Greg Gillis stood hunched over two laptops bouncing back and forth with a commanding presence. Admittedly at times I enjoy revisiting his albums on my ipod but in all honesty who wouldn’t mind tiny nostalgic clips of music from their youth. With that said, I’m not sure how seriously I can write about a non-performance act. In appearance I could not tell how much mixing was actually going on, more as steering a booze cruise on stage. I am not sure how long a musical phase like this can last, I guess I could always Wiki Moby and see how long his career lasted before the music scene moved on. If anything Gillis had a great authority on stage at times jumping atop the table dancing and directing the audience as confetti and toilet paper flew into the wet air. He played a nonstop set with countless snippets from his three-album catalog and the endless list of music hits. Rumor has it, he is moving the direction of his music into a more linear fashion that could drastically alter many of the popular facets of his music. If that’s the case I would be intrigued especially if the army of frats lost interest and returned to whatever trend band is looking for a sell out fan base.
This evening’s headliners were the ever so popular trio from Brooklyn,NY, the YeahYeahYeahs, who have definitely made their festival rounds this year. It seems as though the band have not stopped since the release of It’s Blitz, the band’s third album; which found them experimenting with their sound while retaining much of that edge that made them popular in the onset of their career. I was torn at this point, the rain had let up a little, as the stage was being prepared for the evening’s closer. Tiredness had set in and the knowledge of the amount of work still needed to accomplish when returning to the hotel was a looming factor when I made the final decision not to stay for the entire YYYs set. I did however make my way to the pit to enjoy the onset of the evening’s performance from as close as possible and hopefully some shots that would work out.

In the dark mist the band arrives on stage, the familiar opening keys of “Runaway” begin the set as Karen O takes her position readied for what seems like a Hiawatha modern Geisha dance with a Michael Jackson like pink glove donned. There was a fourth member along for the ride, who after further investigation turned out to be the beautiful, Jessica Dobson from the LA band, Deep Sea Diver, who played bass and keyboards and is touring with the band during their popularized summer tour. The few songs played are a blur as I was more focused to capture the perfect image of Karen in all of her glory as her true performance side was naturally emitted as she serenaded us through a nice mix from their album catalog thus far. Just as I remember from their earlier performance in May in the onset of their tour there was still a commanding force in the cohesiveness of their musical skill as fans were beyond excited to just catch a glimpse and sing along with the former art school rockers. I turned one last time to take in the excitement and originality coming off stage before my final hike up those steep stairs to exit and prepare for the following day.

Interview: The Antlers

2009-09-11T11:43:00.015-05:00

The Antlers, originally a solo act moniker for creator, Peter Siberling is now a trio of multi-talented most down to earth guys, breathing a celebratory life into subject matter that on paper seemed very dreary and sorrowful. I had the pleasure to meet the guys when they came through Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival. Hot on the official release of their album, Hospice, I will reunite with them at Red Rocks for the Monolith Festival. Lucky for me, then once more on The Antlers' first official tour next week when they return to Chicago. In all this time, I have been able to coordinate with the three via email an interview in hopes to get to know the guys better and unveil some of the thoughts behind Hospice, easily one of my top 5 albums of the year.

Drawing From Music: In the past when you toured did you have instrumentalists accompanying you? Now with the addition of Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci, will the creative processes change with future albums, or will this be a ship that you will continue to primarily steer?

Peter Siberling: We actually never toured until we were a three piece. When I was starting out, I played shows by myself for about a year and a half, but that was a long time ago, playing very, very different songs. The creative process seems to be changing every day, and I think it’s safe to say that all of us playing and touring together is moving things in a much more collaborative direction.

DFM: What I have been drawn to with your music is how it has always felt like it was a journey to an alter reality. How is it you hope for your listeners to interpret your music? Is there a certain emotion or personal idea that you hope will resonate with them?

PS: That’s a pretty ideal reaction. My favorite music is the kind that takes me out of reality, where I don’t hear people in a studio, but music that brings you into some sonic universe that’s not your own. But that’s not just a sound and atmosphere thing. I think lyrics can work with that to create some new world within the span of 4 minutes or 50 minutes or 5 hours. I think the point of Hospice is some sort of interconnectivity, being brought into someone’s very specific set of experiences, into their head and their world and somehow feel as though it’s your own.

DFM: I think as an artist myself; my aim has always been to keep a narrative quality in my paintings. I read this was a characteristic you enjoy to retain in your music. Can you tell me a little about your writing process? How do you decide what your albums’ focus is going to be on?

PS: So far, every album’s been the result of obsession over some idea or story or set of stories. Once that obsession starts, the idea for the album as a whole arrives, then the songs and sound are sort of built around that overriding plan. That idea comes from different places- sometimes it’s out of nowhere, other times it’s pulled out of personal experience. Hospice was the latter.

DFM: Were there real life situations that brought you to this introspective investigation of the institution of a hospice? How autobiographical are some the situations experienced in the album?

PS: It’s creative memoir. I won’t go into what’s autobiographical and what’s pulled from other ideas, but Hospice has been the equivalent of telling thousands of people too much about yourself and repeatedly stopping mid-sentence. It’s been a weird thing to wrap my head around.

DFM: What is the importance of Sylvia Plath to Hospice? Was she part of the initial obsessions for this album? How is it you relate with her as an artist?

PS: Sylvia in Hospice is sort of a composite of several Sylvias- a few fictional and a few non-fictional. Her story and personality definitely played a major role in the writing of this album, but only insofar as I found a whole mess of parallels between her and someone I knew personally. I wouldn't say I relate to her myself, but in a way I sometimes feel as though I knew her.

DFM: Michael and Darby If one were to run a background check on you what would they learn?

Michael Lerner: As a young man, my hair was longer than Darby's

Darby Cicci: They would probably find a lot of old theater photos. I used to be an actor for a long time and I’ve been in a ton of plays. You also might find a record I made called “Minus Green”. If you’re lucky maybe even “Darby’s Iguana Page”, from the early days of the internet.

DFM: Do you let current news related issues affect your creative/writing processes with your music?

PS: I tend to keep up with what’s going on pretty well, with the exception of when we’re touring and we’re in dreamland. But I tend to avoid putting politics and current events into songs...I don’t yet know how to write a political song without being uninformed and obnoxious.

ML: I think that outside forces in the world inevitably shape one's mindset –usually subconsciously. But no, the news doesn't really come into play for me. In fact, I actually try and keep clear of the news for the most part these days and focus on more positive things.

DC: News and issues and everything definitely affects our lives. Writing is really just a response to how we deal with our lives in a weird way so pretty much everything influences us creatively.

DFM:What are your roots as musicians? How did it come to be that The Antlers exists? Who were some oft the musical influences that aided in the molding of the musicians you are today?

PS: I grew up playing guitar, borrowing my dad’s amps and pedals, learning to play from him and eventually another teacher. I’d played in a band for much of my growing up- we set up a practice and recording space in a barn and spent all summer every summer there, writing songs and swinging pillows at bats that threatened to interrupt. That band dissolved toward the end of high school (we’d been playing together since the age of eleven) and I don’t think any of us knew what to do with ourselves when it was finished. Not long after, I started recording by myself for the first time. From then on, I recorded albums and EPs constantly until the end of recording Hospice, when I took a break. This recording project became The Antlers when I moved to NYC in 2006, and became a band some time between 2007 and the end of 2008.

ML: I've been playing drums since I was six years old and have played in a lotof bands. I met Peter when he decided to branch out from a solo act to a full band. I was looking for a new band at the time. When I first heard him sing,
I knew that I wanted to work with him. One of my biggest influences was ateacher of mine named Yusef Lateef. He helped me understand the importance of musical dialogue and interplay with other musicians. Buddy Rich, Tony Williams and Elvin Jones were also huge drumming influences for me.

DC: I grew up playing trumpet and playing a lot of jazz. Then a lot of blues, then I quit playing music for awhile and then got into writing songs, and then got really obsessed with music and started playing everything. Then I got into electronic music and became obsessed with synthesizers, electronics, and building and repairing equipment. I met Peter right before the electronics obsession and played trumpet and bowed banjo for a long time when we made Hospice. We all listen to a bunch of things...a lot of indie rock, but almost more than that, a lot of sort of epic post-rock, electronic music, dub, soul, jazz, folk, etc etc etc.

DFM: The layers and styles that are emitted in your music seem endless. Who were some of your biggest influences at an early age and how have they changed through the years?

PS: I was raised on The Beatles & Hendrix, and when I was very young found a lot of terrible music to listen to on my own. But I was really into Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins as well. Getting into Radiohead and indie rock when I was in my early teens changed things for sure, then getting into trip hop and more emotionally raw indie rock in my late teens and early 20s put things on a slightly different path.

ML: When I was younger, rock bands like Led Zeppelin were a big part of my formative years musically. When I was in college I got into jazz which changed my approach to drumming. I began to explore more subtle nuances in my playing and I began to try and approach my instrument with an ear towards its musicality and not just as a rhythmic component. When I was younger, rock bands like Led Zeppelin were a big part of myformative years musically. When I was in college I got into jazz which changed my approach to drumming. I began to explore more subtle nuances in my playing and I began to try and approach my instrument with an ear towards its musicality and not just as a rhythmic component.

DC: Elliott Smith, Howlin Wolf, John Vanderslice, and Jonny Greenwood. Now’s is Moderat and a bunch of electronic music, dub, noise, and about ten thousand other records.

DFM: I’m not sure if this seems repetitive but what would you say is the constant idea or themes you try to address in your music?

PS: Depends on the song or the album, really. Hospice is about something different than the EPs that precede it (New York Hospitals is along the same lines, but nothing beforehand is). If there’s any common thread in all things Antlers, it’s probably some sort of understanding about being alive.

ML: I am interested in playing with intensity regardless of the dynamics. I am also trying to balance precision with a certain quality of looseness. Overall, providing a song with the right feel is very important to me.

DC: No not really. I think if you start with an idea, the piece of music or song or whatever will always be better as just an idea. It’s better to just write instinctively and then streamline or sound design it later.

DFM: How much do you think being signed to a label will change the future albums from the Antlers? Do you think part of the fun is the DIY aspect of the process or will the added facility allow more room for creative experimentation?

PS: It’s really nice to finally be handing over responsibility to other people. We were doing absolutely everything ourselves for a long time, and it was completely worthwhile, but now we’re touring a lot and are happy to have people helping in such a major way. Now we get a chance to really focus on making music, which is ultimately the most important thing in all of this. I think being with Frenchkiss is going to give us the breathing room we need to make our next record.

DFM: It may be a question you have answered a lot but I’m not sure I’ve ever read it anywhere, but how did you come up with the name The Antlers?

PS:It’s a mystery! To myself, even.

DFM: Are there any new bands or music that you’re listening to? Any bands you are looking forward to see in your upcoming shows?

PS: I think everyone ought to hear Son Lux’s record. It came out last year, I believe, but it’s new to me and incredible. I’m really looking forward to seeing Flaming Lips at Pitchfork. I haven’t seen them since 2003, and that was possibly the best show I’ve ever seen.

ML: The records I've been listening to the most lately far and away are Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest & Dirty Projectors's Bitte Orca. Both albums have gotten a ridiculous amount of plays on my ipod. Off the top of my head, for upcoming shows , I am looking forward to seeing The Books, Phoenix, Ida Maria and Cymbals Eat Guitars.

DC: The new Broadcast, Flaming Lips and Fuck Buttons records are all pretty sick. Interested in seeing Sleepy Sun and also Wild Beasts. And we’re touring with Minus the Bear and Twin Tigers so pretty excited to see them.

DFM: If there were any character in history from any media (TV, literature, comics, etal.) that you would best liken yourself to who would it be? Why?

PS: Maybe Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years. I don’t necessarily know how similar we are, but I just think he’s a really interesting character. I noticed recently that he barely says anything unless his older self is narrating, but his facial expressions speak louder than anything else.

ML: Jay Gatsby. A long time ago, my friends Johanna and Nora gave me that nick-name. I think it had something to do with the way I act at social gatherings.

DC: My personal idol is Thomas Edison. I’m nothing like him though.

DFM: And finally, aside from music what would you say are some personal outlets for you?

PS: Lately I’ve been writing stories. I guess it’s not all that different from writing songs - still semi-autobiographical, but it doesn’t feel self-referential. I go in and out of phases with photography...right now I’m working on getting back into it.

ML: Surfing & Kayaking

DC: Art, graphic design, fixing broken equipment, good beer, cooking southern food. And I really like fishing when I’m home in Alabama.

[Live Review] The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Chicago, Logan Square Auditorium, 9.08.09

2009-09-09T20:10:00.010-05:00

Arriving at the Logan Square Auditorium, I cant help feeling as though I’ve stepped back into time, into a high school gymnasium on prom night. Only here I'm surrounded by the city’s hipsters, as though I just walked into a nest. Unfortunately I miss the Cymbals Eat Guitars set, making them a priority this weekend at Monolith. The Depreciation Guild is up next and they begin with no introduction. The words are muted and overpowered by a dancing Christoph Hochheim on guitar, but the lyrics seem to play a secondary role to the music creating a poppy shoe gaze effect. They seem like a young band sill finding their way but emitting a lot of promising aspects in their music.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart step onto stage after what seemed like a minimal set up. Lights turn on and with their expected punch the music begins. All five including, Christoph from The Depreciation Guild seems to bouncing along to the music. Drums continue to punch, straight into “Young Adult Friction”. Kip finds a nice steady jig as he belts lines and rips into the melody on his guitar. I feel as though time sort of freezes and Kip glares off into an invisible spot while meticulously delivering the lyrics and everyone around him bop their heads. This is another band who look as though they truly enjoy performing, whether or not there was a crowd they would still play with such intensity. There is a happy balance of melody and tempo following Kip’s lyrical lead. A constant and concentrated look overwhelms the stage as all members play with a downward gaze. Kip jokes about his necessity to change shirts after a realization he was dressed the same at Pitchfork. He admitted a strong desire to prove he showers regularly. At this point, a guy in the crowd yells out,” I Love You!!!” Kip makes commentary to his beloved fan before returning to his onstage fun.
“Come Saturday” gets the crowd excited after Kip miss announces, getting to excited to play from their most recent EP, Higher Than the Stars. They find a definite level of comfort ability and playing through the sound issues. There is as much explosion from their music as I remember from Pitchfork. As the set winds down, Peggy thanks the crowd, complimenting the energy of the crowd and noting with a laugh the feeling of playing a school dance. The drums count down and the high tempo resumes with “Twins”. In a recent interview, Kip noted that every band should have a self-titled anthem. He mentioned they save theirs for the conclusion of the set, chanting “We Will Never Die!!” an exclamation I cannot see coming true as their pop quality that resonates in your brain and endearment to pull at your heart. Returning for a single encore song, Kip notes loving Chicago, reminding him of being back in high school. “Gentle Sons” was dedicated to the Smashing Pumpkins, they’re awesome although the song has nothing to do with them. An orchestra of guitars bouncing back and forth lead the ending procession of tonight’s show.

Monolith Festival-2009

2009-09-05T10:51:00.008-05:00

In a weeks time, a portion of the music scene will make its way to the Red Rocks Amphitheater, in Morrison, CO for their annual fare Monolith Festival. A wide range of bands who have made their appearance in this summer's tour of festivals while others hope to break ground on their emerging musical careers. I am making the trek out West to catch up with bands missed at Pitchfork and to check out some of the bands that have blown out my earbuds all summer long. In the upcoming week, I will be featuring band spotlights, a live review of festival bands who will play in Chicago on their way out West and an interview with Peter Siberling from The Antlers. If you're curious of some of this year's performers check out below for more information. It is looking to be a fun and busy weekend.

Monolith Festival 2009

*If for some reason you're actually attending, these may be of more help to you.

Schedule Grid and Map

The Antlers-Hospice

2009-09-01T01:00:00.007-05:00

Hospice marks the first wide release by the band as a newly formed trio; everything prior was the solo work of Peter Siberling under the moniker of The Antlers. The material throughout is all the brainchild of Siberling’s constant desire to deconstruct an idea and rebuild it in a multi-layered introspective narrative. This story translates the death house of a hospice into a celebration of agony and the hopeful relief from that pain in the end. The additions of Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci has intensified an already existing depth of sound in this young band’s music while introducing a higher tempo that matches Peter’s painful screams which exhibit a brutal honesty in emotion and a certain reality relatable to its listeners. The album breaks down the loosely translated album title and the various embodiments one could consider a hospice as their everyday cage. Suicides, abortions, deteriorating relationships, and of course death are some of the conversions that not only emotionally break down our personal beliefs but build up a separate uplifting perspective of what is usually considered a depressing and cynical concept. The album is structured similar to a novel with a beginning, middle and end. It imaginatively transports the listener into an alter-reality role initially dealing with the aspect of an upcoming ending, whether in life or love wallowing in self-pity and agonizing on the mysteries that lie ahead.
The album’s first single, “Bear” from the self-release is a turning point for the album as acceptance begins to set in, and hints of optimism appear along with a celebratory stance of the past uplifts the overall tonality in the album. Although the subject matter retains its dreary disposition the music exposes the consented theory that moving on is the best resolution for something so painful and cancerous. Singer, Sharon Von Etten enhances the ghostly eeriness of Hospice with her distant vocals demonstrate the actual presence of death in the situation. The on the whole ambiguity of the album only strengthens it constantly translated concept as each listener can put forth his/her personal interpretations of the bleak situations expressively recreated in a spine tingling manner. By the conclusion of the album the pain and hurt have completely set in and an overall numbness takes over the emotional pressures as one is spiritually prepared to move forward into the mysterious abyss of what lies ahead. In “Epilogue” the final track, is an out of body experience moving us away from the dying entity and memorializing ourselves and the past that brought us to this point. In its creepy, unnerving instrumentation that concludes the track, a warming sensation overtakes our senses creating a musical nirvana of the massive amounts of emotion necessary to create such an epic saga. Reflection is the key to self-growth and realizations of our mistakes in life are what make us stronger.

Interview: Vivian Girls

2009-08-28T01:18:00.006-05:00

Inspired by a photo from Ignacio Genzon

This weekend the Vivian Girls are returning to Chicago, as they begin their new “Nightmare of Sound” tour promoting the release of their second album, Everything Goes Wrong. I first learned of the all girl trio while researching the artist, Henry Darger, whose manuscript is the source of the band’s namesake. I was immediately drawn to the omnipresent resonance of angst and chaotic beauty that has become a signature in the lo-fi band’s style. Their self-titled debut album was a self-released hit becoming unavailable from popularity until their signing with In The Red boasted the necessary album re release. In the year since, the girls somehow found time to put aside 8 days to record a second LP while continuing on their never ending trek globally. You have two opportunities to catch them this Sunday, August 30. Permanent Records, will host an acoustic performance at 6p with Black Moth. That evening at 9p, Vivian Girls will be at the Empty Bottle with their tour mates The Beets and Daylight Robbery. Earlier this summer I had an opportunity to interview the trio via email, Cassie Ramone was kind enough to uncover some of the hidden secrets of the Vivian Girls while not budging on why in fact Kickball Katy has her nickname.

Drawing From Music: So I have to admit, I was actually looking up some information on Darger for my thesis when I stumbled upon your Myspace page. Who is the fan and was the entire manuscript read? What was it that stuck out or that you guys related to enough to take on the name Vivian Girls?

Vivian Girls: Our original drummer Frankie came up with the name. It was the only name we could think of that wasn't totally dumb. We thought the idea was cool because the Vivian Girls are both feminine and masculine, and they battle evil. We definitely haven't read the manuscript. It's 15,000 pages long!

DFM: It seems everywhere I read you guys are constantly touring, talk about hard working. Is touring something that plays a large role with the band’s creative processes. Are most of your songs written on the road? Can you explain the process a little?

VG: We practice and flesh out new songs on the road sometimes, but generally our songs are written at home. Usually I write the songs but sometimes songs come from a part that Katy or Ali writes that we jam on.

DFM: If you were to tell a story, or paint a picture that would best describe your music to someone who has never heard it, how would it be?

VG: It's the story of a bored seventeen-year-old girl from 1962 who drops out of high school and moves to a New York City of 1982 to try to make it on her own. She gets into heavy drinking and dates all the wrong men and she's surprised that guys don't want to marry her because all her classmates were engaged by the time of the Homecoming Dance. After years of sleeping around and drug use she tires of the scene and takes a yacht out to an obscure Caribbean island, where she builds a tent on the beach and spends the day watching the sun set.

DFM: What are your roots as musicians? How did it come to be that Vivian Girls exists (including the switch out of Frankie Rose for Ali)? Who were some of the childhood musical influences that aided in the molding of the musicians you are today?

VG: We all started playing music in our school bands, Katy and I on saxophone and Ali on drums. When it came to starting bands we were influenced by Olympia bands like Bikini Kill and Beat Happening, because they did it themselves and showed us that we could do it too.

DFM: So what are some of the differences we can see in this new album in comparison to your first album? After being signed now is the process much easier, or have you guys tried to keep the DIY aspect that has aided your success?

VG: The second album is darker and longer. It's still pretty raw and definitely meant to be played loud. We've definitely kept a DIY mentality when recording and mixing the second album; we were very involved in the whole process.

DFM: What would you say is the constant idea or themes you try to address in your music? Would you describe your music as more abstract or literal?

VG: It's both abstract and literal. The songs are all about real-life experiences that happened to me that are written about in a universal manner.

DFM: I know it is probably out there somewhere, and I haven’t looked enough but where did the “kickball” nickname come from?

VG: Katy was in a super secret kickball society in college. She's not really allowed to talk about it, though.

DFM: It’s funny because a lot of times when listening to your music I kind of forget that your girls (I really hope there is no political incorrectness in this question. If comes off this way please forgive me not my intention…haha) Anyway, when I hear live shows and see posted pics get that high school pitter patter that a guy gets when he has a school crush. What sort of girly Tiger Beat things do you guys do that most people don’t know about?

VG: Swoon over Evan Dando and collect Lisa Frank stickers. We talk about boys and crushes a lot.

DFM: Are there any new bands or music that you’re listening to? Any bands you are dying to see this summer?

VG: Yeah we're into The Beets and Real Estate. Also just saw the Fresh and Onlys and they were awesome. I'm dying to see Yellow Fever - they're from Austin and one of the best bands around today but we don't get to see them very often!! And I think they're playing New York when we're home, so we're very psyched.

DFM: If there were any character in history from any media (TV, literature, comics, etal.) that you would best liken yourselves (all 3 of y’all) to who would it be? Why?

VG: Rachel, Monica and Phoebe from Friends, because we all have alternating hair colors and we are all friends.

DFM: Do you let current news related issues affect your creative/writing processes with your music?

VG: No, not really. We pay attention to the news but it doesn't have anything to do with how we write music.

DFM: Was music something you grew up with and studied, was it always a career goal or a distant fantasy? What are your future hopes for Vivian Girls, how do you guys see yourselves remembered in the far-off future?

VG: I think it was always more of a distant fantasy for us. We were all in bands for fun but none of us ever saw music as something that could be a career. I hope that we'll be remembered as something more than just another lo-fi band of 2008.

DFM: Ali. What was your musical history prior to joining Vivian Girls?

VG: She played drums in her school band since she was 10 but she didn't get serious until she was in her first band when she was 16. She's been in bands ever since.

DFM: Katy and Cassie, is there an embarrassingly hilarious childhood story you could share about an experience that ultimately brought you guys closer?

VG: One time we heard that Matt Sharp (of the Rentals and Weezer) was playing a solo show at a tiny venue in Midtown and we were so afraid it would sell out that we got there at 9 AM. Of course, we got there way too early and no one was there. We had donuts and then Matt Sharp and his tour manager showed up and we all ate donuts together and listened to the Cure. It was super nerdy and we were very star struck but it definitely brought us closer together.

DFM: And finally, aside from music, what would you say are some of your personal outlets?

VG: Drawing, sleeping, hanging out with friends, watching TV, yoga, video games, etc. That's all of ours mixed together.

Vivian Girls

Modest Mouse-No One's First and You're Next.

2009-08-24T11:34:00.007-05:00

After great success from their most recent release, Modest Mouse has been on what seems an endless tour. Luckily Isaac Brock and crew were able to put together this EP to satisfy our hunger until their next full-length release. No One’s First and You’re Next is the compilation of unreleased tracks and B-sides from their previous two albums. The music retains al the classic characteristics of Modest Mouse that initially sparked my interest while exhibiting a more mature and polished finish. Their talents and creativity have always played ahead of the curve and that momentum was propelled by the addition of The Smith’s Johnny Marr who brought another unique quality to the table. These eight tracks demonstrate the successes in this new marriage while reminding us of the unfathomably dark ideas that conceal themselves in Brock’s imagination. In Good News for People who Love Bad News, there were harmonious lead-ins, explanations of emotions and an introspective investigations of one’s own worth on this Earth. We Were Dead Before the Ship Ever Sank, moves its listeners onto a separate plain casting our spirits in this earthly surrounding testing our self-esteem from an alternate perspective with a harder and more punchy delivery in their sound. The explorations of death and celebration of opportunities in life have been signature ideas constantly challenged in Brock’s music and are still present in this most recent EP. The band attempts to straddle the contrasting plains created in their previous two LPs, playing devils advocate with the concepts of life after death while creating intrigue in how Brock continuously challenges himself as a musician finding alternate toe tapping forms to translate these murky notions. Much buzz centers around the track, “King Rat” primarily because Heath Ledger prior to his death began work a video for the song which was ultimately completed by it’s co-director, Dan Auber.
Unfortunately for Modest Mouse fans the future does not seem near for a release of new material, but this EP is an excellent bridge for us to revisit all the wonderfully intricate tendencies in their discography. Ultimately it builds its listeners to the chewy center of epic guitar goodness and recreates an overall retrospective sensation of the positive attributes from the six albums created in the past 12 years.

Julian Plenti-Julian Plenti is Skyscraper

2009-08-04T08:31:00.006-05:00

Interpol is a New York Indie Rock band that has gained a reputation for their post-punk revival style. Their latest album, Our Love to Admire marked the band’s move to Capitol Records and was not the most creative endeavor on their part. With that said, I was excited to hear, Paul Banks, the band’s vocalist was to release his first solo record Julian Plenti is…Skyscraper. A slight departure from the sounds of Interpol but also a reminder of the early strengths they revealed when first arriving on the scene.
“Unwind” the opening track is rightfully titled, almost immediately you feel this sense of relaxation and looser sounding chords in comparison to the music made with Interpol. Although carrying a similar punch, it sounds like Julian Plenti; Banks’ alter ego carries interests in multi instrumental orchestration and creating a variation in the overall musical tonality. “Skyscraper” the second track, there is an overall alteration to his approach with a delicately laid out intro, allowing listeners to scale the skyscraper arriving at its peak. Paul’s baritone plays such an intricate and important role in the music centered on him, pensively serving a lullaby of reality and emotion. It’s very interesting to see a more romanticized perspective in contrast to the upbeat art rock stomps most familiar with Interpol’s music. “Games for a Day”; the first single of the album and fourth track is seemingly the first hint of a similarity to Interpol. A familiarity rings in Julian’s sound as though Banks felt he needed a comfort zone and utilize Interpol’s successful characteristics to introduce his new moniker. By the middle of the album, his music unwinds a little too much for my taste. I begin to hear an over production in its style and his subject matter seems a bit dated and unoriginal. Fortunately, with “On the Esplanade” a page is turned and Julian returns to his path of an introspective journey to define his creative future while comparatively looking back to his urban footsteps while exploring a more mountainous terrain. As the trend seems to continue for artists to venture away from the bands they have created a career with to explore creative alternatives while on hiatus. Paul/Julian seems to expose a hidden facet, his musical abilities are layered and not as one dimensional and flat as Interpol’s recent out has made them seem.
“Madrid Song” includes a sweet-laced piano melody throughout along with a garbled sample to support his prominently present vocals. The final two tracks of the album which have lyrics seems to be Julian’s internal conversation or reflection about his idea of a current relationship. On one aspect, he claims his possession of her while in the next his pessimistic side has subconsciously given up all hope of whatever mystery may lie within. The album is concluded with an eerie instrumental track leaving the listener in a haze of hopefulness. The album is an apparent attempt for Banks to re inspire his creative identity. It is a fine blend of the musician we have come to enjoy with Interpol and an introduction of a gentler aspect of the man behind the mask. Aside from his slight stray, it’s an overall success in branding a facet of Banks’ creativity and creating an excitement for Interpol’s future as this would be a strong aide in the evolution of the post punk band.

[Live Review] Frightened Rabbit, Chicago, Bottom Lounge, 7.19.09

2009-07-28T23:29:00.015-05:00

As the massive amount of crowds and euphoric ridden folk file out of Union Park, from the festival ending set by the Flaming Lips. I lock up my bike and head into the Bottom Lounge to see how Frightened Rabbit has held up since he was on the stage much earlier for the third and final day of the Pitchfork Music Festival. Unfortunately I drew the very short straw and was held up from making it out today, the worst of it was the bulk of the bands I was looking forward to see live all fell on this last day as well. On a positive note, with some diligence and determination it looks as though I will get to see a lot of these same bands either when they return to Chicago for their own tour or when I make my way out to Colorado for this year's Monolith Festival. Regardless, I was fortunate enough to catch Scott Hutchison & gang’s Post Pitchfork show this evening. Unsurprisingly there was a decent crowd all packed in to see the set they either missed or had hoped to build onto from the fun earlier in the day.

Thax arrives to introduce Frightened Rabbit quoting lyrics from “Poke”. The Scots run onto stage exclaiming tiredness and begins with “I Feel Better” they start rather high tempo with no signs of fatigue, continuing what I can assume was a strong set nine hours ago. “Since we’ve played this afternoon, I’ve had a bit of whiskey…perfect cure for a sore throat, and among other things confidence” Scott jokes holding up a bottle in between songs. Much like the brutal honesty of his lyrics, Scott’s delivery is just as visibly painstaking. A drunken Scott makes an enjoyable performer creating a comfortable environment jesting and conversing in between songs. The crowd definitely not a deterrent from the enjoyment of the set, I can imagine this being a better experience for the Pitchfork goers who caught their earlier set; as the band casually throws jokes around coercing everyone for crowd cooperation. WOW!!! “The Modern Leper” has turned this performance up a notch they are such an amazingly gracious band as well. Still becoming familiar with their first album, it was a nice transition to hear something old, “Yawns”. A microphone error occurs but Scott takes it in strides and he casually eases over and resumes his twist.
Obviously inebriated by the drunken ramble throughout the show but not apparent in their performance as it flows seamlessly all the way through this cozily crowded lounge. The crowd’s yells and requests are offhandedly responded to; and then leading into the ninth song ”My Backwards Walk” of the set, the drunken error finally occurs. Scott shrugs it off with a laugh claiming it had to occur at some point. With the loud chants, “Music Now!!!” begins, and this experience has definitely reached that musical nirvana where all sensories are reached by the spine tingling performance on stage. That song demands you to sweet talk the next random girl to the backroom and make out with her, per suggestion of the random girl next to me. I clarified that wasn’t a blatant suggestion for the two of us to disappear for the remainder of the set. There is such a high intensity and this rhythmic awesomeness present as the set comes to a conclusion with Scott dancing a jig about stage and the drum skins being pounded. After a relentless plead, stomp and chant from the audience Scott returns with his acoustic guitar in hand letting us know his gratitude and he was going to play something new. “Swim Until you Can’t See Land”, has an overall feeling of loneliness, solitude and disparity, from what Ive read definite aspect that will be present in their upcoming album. Finishing the evening off with another gracious thanks and promising to soon return prior to bringing the house down with the crowd pleasing “Keep Yourself Warm”. For obvious reasons it would take a lot to make up for the missed line up of Pitchfork but at least this year’s festival experience ended on a very high note with an amazing performance from a great band.

Pitchfork 2009 Recap

2009-07-26T23:36:00.013-05:00

It has been seven days since the Flaming Lips concluded the three-day event at Union Park, and I cant even begin to explain the week that has occurred since its conclusion. It was a weekend of difficult deadlines and sporadic tastes of wonderful live music. The weather varied from a steady drizzle at times to breezy, sunny days and no one can forget the mild temperatures in the evening begging for a hoodie. As usual this did not deter the endless amounts of hipsters and (enter stereotypical label here) who made the daily trek to this otherwise quieted park in the West West loop, taking refuge with their new favorite peculiar sounding bands. My studio is literally 3 blocks away so it almost felt as though I was walking through my backyard to see the plethora of bands that are now regulars on my daily play lists. With an unbelievable opportunity falling in my lap literally the evening prior to the onset of Pitchfork I had to reevaluate my plans, making sure I got to see the priorities on my list. Ultimately I can say it was a memorable weekend.

Day 1: Built to Spill

I knew going into this year’s festival, not having too much experience or past with the majority of Friday’s bill I mostly wanted to see Built to Spill. If you read my previous entry about BTS they played a pivotal role in the evolution of my music taste. There has been rumor for three years of a new album, which sounds like may become true in October, There is No Enemy. Regardless, as excited as I was to hear new tracks, I knew with the “Write the Night” set list to expect an evening of classics. I arrived at the tail end of Jesus Lizard’s set, reminiscent of my 90s high school era, but didn’t follow enough to have a discussion about. I was able to collect my thoughts and phase out the all-encompassing festivalgoers who may have arrived after happy hour to catch the entire evening. The weather was balmy and grey with a chance of storms. The band casually walks onstage and begins to jam, opening up with “Liar”. I am not sure if they were attempting to get comfortable or if this was their natural demeanor but there was such concentration in the onset of their play. Doug Martsch has such a reserved delivery when he sings, you almost expect a large booming voice but much like his lyrics its more delicate and controlled than anything else. It does not seem like he switches guitars at all as we are four songs in and each break is silent as he tunes the guitar. The guys are falling in sync and the show moves into the next gear, finishing up with “You Were Right” it’s like watching an army of guitars.
Finally making casual talk, Doug compliments the aroma of fumes that have made their way towards stage. Commentary was made about the possibility of WB halting the October release of their new album. Moving into “Kicked It In the Sun” like many of the songs thus far has a noticeable rise and fall of tempo. As much as it seems like a great idea to allow the fans to selects the songs to be played and knowing Doug’s desire for perfection (aim to build a more cohesive sounding set) I don’t know if it’s a concept that allows a band like BTS who has a tendency to elaborate on wherever their music takes them. I look around as my drunken surrounding bellow out requests, I laugh to myself. Rain has now began to fall steadily and it appears as though Doug has left his consciousness…Wow!!! The band powers through their set resembling mini symphonies being played simultaneously. It is always intriguing to see the natural tendencies present in a live performance. Doug has this convulsion like movement as he sings, delivering each and every concentrated line. There is a nice balance though across the board of songs mixing nostalgic favorites like “Big Dipper” and more recent “In Your Mind”. Doug stands back nodding his head in a confrontational manner between verses. There is something very beautiful about a band finding their harmony and grooving it out onstage. It is as though the crowds disappeared and we’re in this musty old garage or farmhouse, watching this untouched craft. This artist’s personal gem built upon by their various layers of creativity, what an unpredictable magic. It is pure comedy watching the myriad sections of the crowd explode with gratitude as their favorites are played. To conclude the evening Doug thanks everyone and begins “Carry the Zero.” It is like a sea of convulsions and spasms of musical nirvana as the crowd bop their heads and find their own methods to dance along with the melody. As the lines stream out of the park, my ear buds go in to avoid solicitors and heading back to the studio with a rejuvenated creative focus and a late night ahead of me, inspired and excited to return for day 2.

Day 2: The Antlers, The National and Everyone else...

Walking in with at least a handful of bands excited to see on Saturday, knowing that my schedule was already prohibiting me from seeing Cymbals Eat Guitar. I was very persistent to make The Antlers first showing in Chicago. A primary objective to get a full day worth of great music and to avoid the annoying nuances that sometimes come with festival environs. Especially given this turned out to be my final day at Pitchfork, opportunities disallowed me from returning for Sunday’s lineup.
The Antlers played Stage B: and seemed to have attracted a decent crowd, enough for Peter Siberling to comment. Off the bat, the band builds a strong ambience of sound; Darcy Cicci the keyboardist, emulating an organist on Sunday service while a hunched over Peter perfectly wails out lines of “Kettering”. I realize as I type this, one could question my psyche’s development from my upbringing in a Catholic private school, but Peter has a tendency in between verses to face the drummer, Michael Lerner, much like a Roman Catholic priest delivering a musical sermon. The Antlers live do an excellent job at recreating that personal journey one can take with their music, a remedy much needed to drown out the cackles and fumes from the surrounding crowds. The set is definitely set up as an annotated version of their new album, Hospice. In our interview, the fictional character Peter most related himself to was Kevin Arnold from TV’s The Wonder Years. This is quickly realized as you see him dancing onstage tearing into his guitar in a short sleeve plaid shirt. They smoothly transition us into “Bear” the fourth of the set, and the inattentive mumblers of the crowd finally look up. I was a bit disappointed with the sound boards at this point, on no fault of the band, I would have hoped for less volume on the keyboards as Peter’s voice was little lost. But hey, it was outdoors. Anyway, regardless it was a beautiful buildup at the end as Peter thanks the crowd again along with Pitchfork. A little drizzle falls from the sky as “Two” the next to last song of the set begins, and the band conclude appropriately with “Epilogue”. An amazingly big voice, it’s an awe-inspiring thing when someone’s voice live can recreate the same chills when first hearing their album. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Antlers!!! WOW!!! Its pretty intriguing how the rain fell throughout their somber ridden set and clears out with the end of their performance. I feel like I’m starting this day off on the right bat.
Moving onto the rest of the day, it became very difficult for me to settle down and focus on anyone’s full set. Much like a pinball I bounced all over the place, I’m sure running into friends who had no specific preference of bands they wanted to see until later in the afternoon. The energy coming off stage from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart on Stage A was pretty amazing and seemed rather contagious as they drew was sizable and participatory. Back to the Bowerbirds on B, who’s sweet and tender set remedies the fact the masses of crowds are getting larger. I have to admit Owen Pallett’s side project, Final Fantasy was something I knew very little about. But the way he played his violin was absolutely mesmerizing. I was completely pulled toward Stage C, where this one-man act was set up on the front right hand corner of the stage, but eloquently playing this modern symphony of emotion. One mostly assumes that violin lessons are parental enforced activities but the thought sometimes alludes me that maybe this generation of younger siblings actually enjoyed what they learned. It is becoming more of a trend to see these multi-talented musicians who are creating these orchestrated pieces of music that aren’t necessarily incorporating the standard 3-piece outfit. For one of the final songs in his set, Zach Condon of Beirut joined Owen on stage integrating a horn section for a track that will be on the upcoming Final Fantasy album. This is an example of the still positive aspects in music festivals. The discovery and excitement of a newly stumbled upon musician as the obvious drive and creative obsession from that artist is stimulating and can be a bright spot in the overbearingly annoying crowds of people who sometimes appear not to care about the music. The afternoon at this point began to blur together as there were pleasant sounds coming from the stages nothing that really enraptured me enough to struggle through the labyrinth of passed out drunks sprawled out on the ground catching a breather. Our group was looking forward to Beirut’s performance so we killed what time was left replenishing ourselves while people watching. I was also at this point mapping out Sunday’s schedule of shows still unknowing that I wasn’t going to be able to return.
Beirut played Stage A: and definitely attracted a decent crowd while it was noticeable that some folks were already claiming stake for the evening’s closers The National. This is a first time for me, as I am not too familiar with all of Beirut’s music but have always known I would enjoy it regardless. The sound is very similar to an old bandstand sextet playing next to the track at an old European train station. If the fictional French character “Amelie” had a male counterpart I don’t doubt it would be the music of Beirut, as you are transported to a small mountain town, it’s the old world instrumentation. There is culturally rich flavor to the sound and re imagines lives of those old family black & whites. Ultimately, I did move over towards Stage C, since The National was a big reason that I stayed throughout the day, but really enjoyed the remainder of the set and added Beirut to my regular play list.
In the bath of blue lights, The National arrives on stage and introduces themselves. The first song, “Runaway” is something new, slower tempo, the crowd is quieting taking the song in; as stragglers still file into empty spots. Matt Beringer takes a sip from his beverage and the guitars launch us into “Start a War”. The stage appears to be very crowded, something of a horn section peeks out from the right hand side, along with a violinist/keyboardist and not to mention the brothers Dessner and Devendorf all flank Matt’s baritone melodies. There is an effortlessness to their delivery, as they seem to make it appear very easy and graceful. Matt mentions something about the next song about it being a jam or no jam that tonight will be jam, “Vanderlylle Cry Baby”. These small hints of what we’re to expect are very promising. Aaron Dessner, plays his guitar with a bow in hand sparks my curiosity if they’re experimenting at all with their sound. There’s a casualness to Matt’s demeanor as he watches the brothers play, as though they were jamming on the back porch of a house. A build up and production is made as everyone toasted the next song “Squalor Victoria”. Matt’s blood is pumping as he screams, “Squalor Victoria!!!” I am reminded of old Nirvana tracks by some of the guitar feedback and dissonance that begins “Abel”. The tempo is then slowed down as the echoes of the Black Lips’ screeches are in the background; the snare and orchestrated claps lead us into “All the Wine”. The keyboard begins; “Fake Empire” presumably will return us to their regularly scheduled higher tempo show. By the end of the song the Dessners are raising their guitars, as the violin wails.

After thanking Pitchfork, Bryce Dessner notes their last visit in Chicago was in 95°weather as he is presently bundled up in a hoodie. The third and final new song of the evening is titled “Blood Buzz” and begins with a drum heavy and horny (haha) mid tempo track. The set is concluded with the wildly popular “Mr. November”. Matt’s voice unwinds a bit through the chorus and he ultimately jumps into the crowd, sitting up facing us, screaming the chorus at the top of his lungs. The band returns to stage for an encore song "Daughter of a Soho Riot"; the violinist strums his instrument like a uke. There is this I daresay epic sound in how they deliver their music and a variety of how a band chooses to jam out a song. I file out with the rest of the crowd stepping over the passed out hurriedly zipping through my play lists wanting to review the daylong list of sets and to revisit the highlights of the day. I was also eager to attempt to finish up some pressing work that needed to get accomplished in order to return in a timely manner for the festival’s final day, which also included a large number of the bands I had been anticipating.

Pitchfork Spotlight: Flaming Lips

2009-07-16T01:12:00.007-05:00

Straight out of Oklahoma City, Wayne Coyne and company are still finding ways to jostle the standards of genre bending ideas that he originated himself. It was this strange and alternative originality that first peaked my interests way back in high school, with Transmissions from the Satellite Heart it wasn't until later, more mature years that I actually appreciated the creativity this band exudes as my copy of The Soft Bulletin eventually was scraped all to hell as a result of overplay. I was fortunate enough to catch them live on the "Unlimited Sunshine Tour" which supported their hugely breakout hit album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. I could not believe at the time there was a way to respect a band more. It was unfathomable how The Flaming Lips could continually find a refreshing and energetic way to translate the eccentric ideas that float through the psyche of Wayne Coyne. Approaching their 23rd year of existence, fans prepare for the October release of their double album, Embryonic. The frontman has been quoted as to describe the new release as a "freak-out vibe". To be honest with you, it's very difficult to note the band's accolades without presenting it in some sort of lifetime achievement fashion. From what has been either played live this summer or was released online is proving true the next evolving step in the band's over accomplished career.

In his lyrics, Wayne Coyne is able to bridge the trippy, hallucinatory experiences of a lucid dream with the internal conversations in one's mind on a daily basis. Prior to the resurgence of the mind-bending sounds of psychedelic rock; the Flaming Lips were breaking ground in creating an alternate universe without the negative repercussions of an adverse trip. His words are direct and are LSD laced to allow his listeners to sometimes peek at the realities of society that everyone works hard to mask behind their dummy smiles. "Do You Realize" is the official state rock song of Oklahoma. I didn't realize (no pun intended) that states chose those sort of things. I read a recent interview with Coyne where he talked a little about it. "Little by little we discovered that your art isn't sacrificed by the absurd things that happen in your life...So we got the State Rock Song, and we just accept whatever absurdities come with it. Take the good, take the bad, and fuck it, man."

"Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1" is a song that has always stood out to me. Being a literal artist my imagination grasped tightly onto this track and continuously transports me to an anime-like environment following Yoshimi's defeat of her large metallic antagonists. There is a multi-layered facet as the numerous emotions that are intertwined with the struggles of human relations are dissected and investigated under this space rock sci-fi microscope. All this passion and sentiment is emitted throughout this concept driven song .

Pitchfork Spotlight: Built to Spill

2009-07-13T22:36:00.006-05:00

On Friday night, I will finally get to see one of the bands that had a pivotal role in changing what sort of music I listened to. Built to Spill, has been teasing us for three years now with the hint of a follow up release to 2006's You In Reverse. Doug Martsch's constant experimentation and intricately conducted guitar play has evolved into a well versed orchestrated retrospective of Built to Spill's catalog of albums thus far. The band is based out of Boise, Idaho and from what recent reports have stated has undergone a face lift that should result in a BTS record that is like no other. Friday being, "Write the Night" evening of fan decided set lists, Martsch has hinted not to expect new and upcoming tracks but an evening of all our old favorites. In 2008, the band played for a select few shows in it's entirety, Perfect From Now On.

The lyrics in Built to Spill songs read very much like a personal recounting of experiences both good and bad of what is seeming a pessimistic hopeless romantic. All introverted guys alike unite as a cape of courage is unveiled in Martsch's music writing. Already a band, not to sound unPC very masculine with long dreamy guitar shredding tales; the lyrics are a wonderful compliment exhibiting subjects and themes that vary from constellations and love to the self awareness of an aging man and his natural responses to his surroundings. For me personally, I relate to his lyrics in the sense that our lives are a series of instances and experiences but we enter this world alone and leave it the same way, and everything in the middle may not be the best but at least we paved a direction for ourselves.

"Else" is the internal patter of a man's excitement to feel an exhilarated sense of something new. The surprising elation after a previous breakup has lost hope and is renewed by the way she touches your hand. The nervousness that shoots through your body and has you wobbly at your knees....

Pitchfork Spotlight: Cymbals Eat Guitars

2009-07-12T20:30:00.010-05:00

Sometimes I check out bands just because of the oddity of whatever name they've concocted for themselves. Without an expectation in sight, I found myself wanting to listen to the next track with that growing desire to hear everything the band has to offer. Cymbals Eat Guitars are a band from New York City, who mostly began playing together in high school, covering Weezer songs. Their debut album, Why There Are Mountains is mapped out like a legend of a travel hungry group of guys who want to see everything that isn't NYC. I cannot help feeling nostalgic for early Built to Spill and Modest Mouse records, as Cymbals Eat Guitars create this buildup in their album utilizing a variety of instrumentation layering on each other to create a tonal depth in each track. Their music creates a true destination of unknowingness and the mysteries that lie ahead, during this journey this gem of an album, unravels its true beauty.

CEG approaches grand ideas and tackling the darker aspects of one's self while exhibiting an awe struck love of our natural surroundings. I was stunned when I learned that Joseph Dagostino and Matt Miller were the tender age of 19 in the onset of this band. Based on the depth of the music exhibited in this initial trek, one cannot help but to be impressed by the wisdom and maturity of the two well beyond their years in their skill set and music making process.

"Wind Phoenix" is a true desert treasure recreating a wasteland of a lounge act's oeuvre and building the listener's expectation for an unknowing explosion of emotion. The paradox of this song is how the essence of the desolate towns of the old West are the setting for this amorous dote on what sounds to be a young man's in room entertainment experience with a female escort. The heat and buzz of the small town's motel sign overpowers the deafening silence and the incoherent brain waves that have the newly ingrained image of a single meeting with her.

Pitchfork Spotlight: Blitzen Trapper

2009-07-12T00:58:00.007-05:00

Growing Fur, dragons in the sky and a hideously creepy story of a serial killer sung in the first person. These are some of the themes making appearances in Blitzen Trapper's most recent album, Furr. A sextet out of Portland, Oregon whose music emits the scent of 70s Psychedelic, Indie Folk and a lyrical imagination that far surpasses the standard of any current band. Still newly acquainted I have the pleasure of gaining a better grasp with an endless catalog of fantastical explorations they have concocted thus far. In their music, Blitzen Trapper are able to address every aspect or theory in a man's life and spin a journey through the cracks of reality to create ulterior perspectives we all can approach each new day with. Eric Earley, BT's lead singer and songwriter is a contemporary poet ramblin' through the spectacular beauties of mother nature as he serenades her in a fashion similar to Thoreau or Frost. The listener is ultimately able to relate and feel the overall sensation of love that recurrs through many shapes and forms in Furr.

"Black River Killer" is a dark and twisted tale narrated by a serial killer who struggles with his internal desires to enjoy this sadistic love of murder. The song takes place in the first person which allows the listener to see a human side of this monster enjoys revisiting an aspect of his psyche that is torturous to see an inner struggle and find some sympathy for a man's frustrating passion to return to his negative ways. If a negatively natured child is raised by kind, God swearing people will they remain the same or is there enough positive in their parents' hearts to deter them from a unwanted path. A man is split into two dealing with these struggles and has a tendency to lose his own identity. The question is, which side will he pick?

Pitchfork Spotlight: Frightened Rabbit

2009-07-11T23:29:00.013-05:00

Sometimes you come across a band that immediately catches your ear and the lyrics are instantly relatable. You don't always pay attention to the band's name or you're preoccupied with a mindful of other things. Before you realize it the name has slipped your mind and the song is ingrained in your head. Luckily my "OCD" to find out every last detail leaving no stone unturned worked in my favor. This exploration rewarded me with The Midnight Organ Fight the second album from the Scottish troupe Frightened Rabbit. A band started as a moniker for a solo project by its lead singer Scott Hutchison. He has created lyrics that embody a bleeding heart that is unapologetically thrown on the table. It is difficult not to relate to his desperation apparent in his up front blatantly honest verbal explosions of the pain he feels. Their second album primarily focuses on the lost love as Hutchison struggles through his lyrics to re mend his broken heart from what seems to have been a heart-wrenching travesty. His bluntness in addressing his feelings is a welcome transition from the expected indie pop track that has a tendency to sugar coat their saddened perspectives. Hutchison mentioned the next album will not center on a breakup given there hasn’t been a relationship to be broken. He moved on to say it is more about creating distance and feeling lost in this environ of solitude one can create for themselves. Definitely a concept every man considers in his adult life, if he states otherwise he is lying to himself.

“The Modern Leper” is the opening track of The Midnight Organ Fight, and sets the tone for what the listener can expect from this introspective album of personal grief. It addresses the concept one has in a relationship ship when optimism fails and reality sets. The internal questioning of one’s self worth and the gratitude and resentment they hold for the other for dealing with their faults and continue to ignore the obvious issues never addressed. More importantly, the listener bears witness to the self-deprecating behavior an adult can deal with based on the shotty upbringing by their parents that has overwhelmed their daily lives. It’s an ambiguous role that exposes the victim’s inner child’s struggle to overcome their parent’s close-minded perspective and hope to feel unashamed about themselves.

Inspired by a photo from Gregory Crewdson

The Modern Leper

You can see Frightened Rabbit on Sunday at stage C @ 1:45, and that evening at @ 8.

Frightened Rabbit

Pitchfork Spotlight: Grizzly Bear

2009-07-11T00:43:00.003-05:00

Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn based band, with a sound uncategorized and is dominated with acoustic guitars and harmonized vocals. Becoming familiar with this band during their hibernation from the studio, I approached the music with trepidation. I have a tendency to avoid hyped bands for fear my expectations are going to be dashed. Intrigued by a live performance of “Two Weeks” in its early stages on Letterman, I was ready to finally approach the Yellow House with all of its shoe gazing, anti folk genre blending generalizations. In this introductory opus, music is interwoven layer upon layer to create this spectacular sensorial stimulant. Much like the themes in their songs, words cannot fully describe the amazing ness emitted from Grizzly Bear’s music. I would say this is the closest thing to a beautifully danced ballet or a complex themed opera. So many attributes to a classical presence with the modernity of a love struck indie rock band. To contrast this strong overture, this summer the band has introduced us to Veckatimest (Ve-cot-a-must) named after an abandoned New England island and what the band describes as a more accessible album than their previous work. It might be true to some extent where the ideas are graspable but yet not completely obtainable. It is a puzzle that one enjoys to attempt to solve but is constantly challenged with the next obstacle. In discussing the lyrics in Veckatimest, Ed Droste said there is a common enjoyment of keeping lyrics vague and ambiguous mentioning a favorite aspect of the band’s own listening habits is finding their own meaning in the music.

“Cheerleader” is this unclear hazy proclamation of one’s reflections of a past role in high school, defining the personal realization of how meaningless those activities were in actuality. The instrumentation creates a chanting pep rally that reiterates the delusions of grandeur a teenager has of themselves in that stage in their life.

Pitchfork Spotlight: The National

2009-07-09T23:36:00.010-05:00

As of late, The National have etched a definitive name for themselves in the music industry. Not only does this presence include the Dessner bros. curating what is being considered one of the best albums of the year, Dark Was the Night. Not to mention they have managed four albums (six, including EPs) that get stronger with each listen. The band is based out of Brooklyn, New York but consists of friends transplanted from Cincinnati. The band consists of a pair of brother sets (The Brothers Dessner and Devendorf), who mainly cover the instruments and Matt Berninger who covers the song writing and is the primary vocal throughout. Reportedly either back in the studio already or preparing to be there, audiences of recent performances have been getting a taste of new songs. Initially only being familiar with the latter two LPs (Alligator, Boxer) and the Cherry Tree EP, I have recently delved myself into their first two albums. It is quite enjoyable to see how a band evolves creatively and from each album learn what is successful for them and then see that transference in the next album. . In an interview earlier this year, Matt spoke about staying true to an artist’s ability to welcome change in their personal journey as an artist. For a band that has had a lot of growing success to address such a grounded issue all artists face regularly, its respectable. It restores any faith that is dissolved by bands that find success and forget their creative ways.

I find myself yearning for a time frame when things seemed much simpler. There is a certain nostalgic quality emitted from their music and is very reminiscent of growing up in a pre 911 America, the smell of firecrackers in the air, eyes red from chlorine and less violence on TV and in the world. The lyrics and themes throughout the catalog of songs place the listener as the first person recipient of endearing thoughts, unsaid words and eloquently laid lover letters. I have a feeling if Lloyd Dobler existed in the 21^st century, boom box overhead The National would be blaring from it. Matt’s crooner baritone voice begs for everyone’s attention in its straightforward romanticized manner.

8½ Days To Go...

2009-07-08T17:41:00.007-05:00

I know technically it's probably still nine, but most of today is complete. I've been busy enjoying all the great shows coming through Chicago for the summer and have seem to have strayed away from what was the original plan. I am going to be working around the clock though to get up some band spotlights for the folks I'm looking forward to see. I was also able to score some interviews with The Antlers,Vivian Girls and The Walkmen. Hopefully I can get those finished for the festival weekend. Check out the link below to find out when your favorite bands are playing.

Pitchfork Music Festival 09