The Wonderful World of Starr

Upcoming Shows - April, May, June Edition

2006-04-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

At this point, this list of shows is just for my personal reference, though it's a nicely condensed version of all the good bands coming to town.

Wilco - Sunday, April 23rd, Charlottesville Pavilion
Islands (former members of The Unicorns) - Tuesday, April 25th, Black Cat, $12
The Strokes - Wednesday, April 26th, DAR Constitution Hall, $29
They Might Be Giants - Wednesday, April 26th, 930 Club, $25
Elf Power - Thursday, April 27th, Iota, $12
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra - Friday, April 28th, 930 Club, $15
Phoenix - Saturday, May 6th, 930 Club, $15
The Concretes - Sunday, May 7th, 930 Club, $15
Mogwai - Wednesday, May 10th, 930 Club, $18
Tom Verlaine - Monday, May 15th, 930 Club, $25
Art Brut - Sunday, May 16th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $10
Pretty Girls Make Graves (w/Giant Drag) - Monday, May 15th, Black Cat, $13
Liars - Thursday, May 18th, Black Cat, $10
Depeche Mode - Sunday, May 21st, Nissan Pavilion
The Walkmen - Thursday, May 25th, 930 Club, $15
Prefuse 73 (w/Edan) - Thursday, June 1st, 930 Club
The Twilight Singers (feat. Greg Dulli) - Friday, June 2nd, 930 Club
Tapes N' Tapes - Thursday, June 8th, Fletcher's (Baltimore), $10
!!! - Friday, June 9th, Black Cat, $13
Devendra Banhart (w/Magic Numbers) - Saturday, June 10th, Sonar (Baltimore), $25
Eels (w/Smoosh) - Sunday, June 11th, 930 Club
Nine Inch Nails (w/Bauhaus & TV on the Radio) - Tuesday, June 13th, Nissan Pavilion
Cat Power - Wednesday, June 14th, 930 Club
Dungen - Wednesday, June 14th, Black Cat, $13
Echo & the Bunnymen - Monday, June 26th, Black Cat, $20
Kokono No. 1 - Friday, July 21st, Black Cat, $15
Diplo - Sunday, July 23rd, Black Cat, $13

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones

2006-03-22T12:52:00.000-08:00

Oh New York City, I remember your glory days. Back in 2001 you were hailed as the "in" scene for music with The Strokes, The Rapture, Liars and so many others who were supposed to be the "next big thing". Well since those days that we remember so fondly, the Strokes essentially re-released their debut album before releasing an incredibly mediocre third album that didn't appear to have any direction at all. The Rapture released a spectacular album before deciding that they were going to apparently need five years to record the follow-up. And the Liars fired their rhythm section and released an album of noise before jetting off to Germany to become a freak-folk band. So much for the great NYC Rock Revolution of 2001, we've lost them all . . . or have we?

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs took an very different path than most of the other bands of that time. They were an extremely new band as 2001 was emerging, and instead of rushing out a debut album to jump on the bandwagon, they waited, releasing only two EPs worth of material in 2001-2002. They subsequently signed to Interscope and finally released their debut album, Fever to Tell, in April of 2003. The album initially was a bit of a flop as much of the band's hype from the early-NYC days had faded and the garage sound that filled most of the album was old-hat by then, but then something special happened. Nearly a year after the album's release, their label made one last push to make the Yeah Yeah Yeahs the stars they were supposed to be and released "Maps," an extremely unlikely slow, fuzzy song, as a single, and miraculously, it stuck. The next thing they knew, the Yeahs were appearing on the MTV Movie Awards and touring their debut all over again to a whole new audience. So what would they do for an encore? Well, after taking a well-deserved break, the Yeahs hit the studio last year to begin recording what would eventually be Show Your Bones, and my god, have they struck gold this time around.

The change in the band's sound is apparent 6 seconds into the new album as opening track "Gold Lion" starts up with, (gasp), an acoustic guitar. The song builds up and around the 1:15 mark, you find yourself in disbelief staring at the album cover going, "Is this really the same Yeah Yeah Yeahs? I mean, that does sound like Karen O singing, but they seem so much. . . better, more mature, more complete." The recording quality here is on a completely different planet than the hissy, garagey sound that dominated most of Fever to Tell. Plus, there's just so much going on in each song. On FtT, a song sounded complex if there was anything more than one guitar, drums and Karen's vocals. Now acoustic and electric guitars appear in the same song, pianos come in and out of the mix and a song without keyboards or synthesized atmospherics sounds too simple.

Just take "Way Out" as an example, it opens with acoustic guitar and keyboards going side by side giving the song of a bit of a country twang, but halfway through, Nick Zinner blasts through the speakers with one of his wild, crunchy solos, and the song takes on a whole new feel as 80s-style synthesizers appear in the background for the second verse. By the end, there are at least three guitars plus keyboards all playing together, and while it may not sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs of old, it is fucking brilliant.

Track #3, "Fancy," then pulls a bit of a trick on you. It starts out sounding like it could have come right of of the debut, except there's a creepy-sounding organ coming in and out of the mix. You start to think maybe the first two songs were just an anomaly, and that this really is just the same band. But then halfway through the second guitar comes in again, and then it all disappears as Karen sings "We rip for three days" repeatedly over a pulsing synthesizer. When the rest of the band kicks back in, it sounds almost Middle Eastern. The song again fades out into a quiet piano before it returns to the sound it started with, but even though it sounds like the old Yeah Yeah Yeahs, after that ride, you know this band is forever changed.

"Cheated Hearts" makes for an excellent centerpiece to the album and has "hit single" written all over it. It's one of the album's more straightforward songs, sticking largely with the simple two guitars and drums (and the occasional keyboard), and though it lacks a traditional chorus, its quiet-loud-quiet dynamic and handclaps make up for it. After the wonderful "Dudley" and the Show Your Bones' only real miss, "Mysteries," the album slows down a bit with the heavily acoustic "Sweets," "Warrior" and "Turn Into." Each has its own unique feel, however and each goes off in a different direction as the song nears its close. The album's closer, "Deja Vu" gets back to rocking with a pretty standard Yeahs' sounding verse, but on the chorus, Karen O almost sounds like Debbie Harry as she croons "It's Deeeeejaaaaa Vuuuuuu." The final 20 seconds perfectly sum up the band's new thick and developed sound as Nick Zinner solos overtop of another guitar and a synthesizer.

A few years ago, an album like this from a group like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would've been greeted by puzzled looks all around, but with the way indie rock has permeated its way into the general public, the average listener is much more prepared for this in 2006. With the whole 80s brit-rock, Duran Duran/New Order/Gang of Four retread fading out, it's time for a new band to carry the indie rock-as-mainstream torch. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but I think this is the album that could vault the Yeah Yeah Yeahs into that territory. They're not the niche band that Franz Ferdinand or The Killers are, they are extremely talented musicians who were willing to take a huge risk by not retracing the steps of their first album to create an amazing sophomore release. Who knows what they'll give us next.

(My goal was to get this review out before Pitchfork got their review up, my predicted Pitchfork review score: 8.3)

Also, you can stream the new album from nme.com here: http://www.nme.com/artists/yeah-yeah-yeahs/media/163

Upcoming Shows - March, April, May Edition

2006-03-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

The Pogues - Friday, March 10th, 930 Club (Sold Out)
James Blunt (w/The Boy Least Likely To) - Monday, March 13th (Sold Out)
The National - Wednesday, March 15th, Black Cat, $12
Silver Jews - Thursday, March 16th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), (Sold Out)
Matt Pond PA - Saturday, March 18th, 930 Club, $10
The Go! Team - Sunday, March 19th, Black Cat, $12
Animal Collective - Tuesday, March 21st, Black Cat, $13
Stereolab - Tuesday, March 21st, 930 Club, $18
Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) - Thursday, March 23rd, Birchmere
The Magic Numbers (w/The Elected) - Thursday, March 23rd, 930 Club, $15
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Friday, March 24th, Black Cat, (Sold Out)
Annie - Sunday, March 26th, Black Cat, $12
Arctic Monkeys - Monday, March 27th, 930 Club, (Sold Out)
stellastarr* & Editors - Wednesday, March 29th, 930 Club, $15
The Books - Wednesday, March 29th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $12 adv/$15 at door Magnolia Electric Co/Destroyer - Wednesday, March 29th, Black Cat, $12
South - Thursday, March 30th, 930 Club, $15
The Orb - Friday, March 31st, 930 Club, $25
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Monday, April 3rd, 930 Club, (Sold Out)
Dinosaur Jr. - Wednesday, April 5th, 930 Club, $30
Art Brut - Sunday, April 9th, Black Cat, $12
Neko Case - Sunday, April 9th, 930 Club, $15
Ghostface Killah - Monday, April 10th, 930 Club, $20 (late show)
Blackalicious - Tuesday, April 11th, 930 Club, $18
Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand - Tuesday, April 11th, DAR Constitution Hall, (Sold Out)
Wolf Parade - Wednesday, April 12th, Black Cat (Sold Out)
Gogol Bordello - Thursday, April 13th, 930 Club, $15
Ladytron - Friday, April 14th, 930 Club, $15
Islands (former members of The Unicorns) - Tuesday, April 25th, Black Cat, $12
The Strokes - Wednesday, April 26th, DAR Constitution Hall, $29
Pretty Girls Make Graves (w/Giant Drag) - Monday, May 15th, Black Cat, $13
Liars - Thursday, May 18th, Black Cat, $10

At the moment I've got tickets to Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers, The National, The Go! Team, Stereolab, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Art Brut and Wolf Parade. That may be enough for the time being, but I could probably be convinced to hit up one or two more of these shows.

Album Release Dates

2006-02-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd update the album release dates post with all the new stuff that's been announced lately. I also though I could add in some news here. First off, the new Morrissey album has been pushed back from March 21st to April 4th, but here is the album cover to tide you all over:

In other news, Grandaddy's Just Like the Fambly Cat will sadly be their last, as they have decided to break up. There won't even be a tour following the album release.

Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - February 7th, 2006
Outkast - Idlewild - February 14th, 2006
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not - February 21st, 2006
Destroyer - Rubies - February 21st, 2006
Mogwai - Mr. Beast - March 7th, 2006
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - March 7th, 2006
Loose Fur - Born Again in the U.S.A. - March 21st, 2006
Liars - Drum's Not Dead - March 21st, 2006 (February 20th in the UK)
Islands (former members of The Unicorns) - Return to the Sea - March 21st, 2006
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones - March 28th, 2006
Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors - April 4th, 2006
Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics - April 4th, 2006
Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat - April 4th, 2006
Pretty Girls Make Graves - Elan Vital - April 11th, 2006
Tortoise - R, R, C - April 11th, 2006
Built to Spill - You in Reverse - April 11th, 2006
Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops - April 18th, 2006
The Streets - The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living - April 25th, 2006 (April 11th in the UK)
The Futureheads - New Album - late April
Mission of Burma - Obliterati - May 9th, 2006
Radiohead - New Album - Spring/Summer, 2006
The Shins - New Album - Summer, 2006

My Indie Valentine

2006-01-31T12:36:00.000-08:00

What's this, two posts in one day? Crazy you say? Well, this one actually benefits me and is quite important. This Saturday, February 4th at the Satellite Ballroom in Charlottesville, How Soon Is Now? Productions (Ian and I) will be hosting our third Brit Pop and Indie Rock Dance Party. As you can see from the title of this post, the theme is Valentine's Day, done indie-rock style. On the screen we'll be showing John Hughes movies and I promise the music will make you dance your ass off. I don't want to reveal too much, but the music for this party has been prepared quite carefully and may contain an occasional 80s synth-pop hit to go along with the normal helping of brit-pop and indie rock. It'll only cost you $5 at the door, and then you get to drink $2 PBRs all night long (what other bar has $2 beers, seriously?). So come on over, listen to some amazing music, watch some awesome movies (without sound of course), lounge in the fabulous couches and dance, dance, dance.

Coachella 2006 Lineup Announced

2006-01-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

The lineup for this year's Coachella Festival was announced today and though it's not as strong as the lineups of the last two years, it is still quite good. Highlights are as follows:

Saturday, April 29th
Depeche Mode
Franz Ferdinand
Sigur Ros
Common
My Morning Jacket
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Ladytron
Cat Power
Animal Collective
Devendra Banhart
The Walkmen
The Juan Maclean
Deerhoof
Editors
Stellastarr

Sunday, April 30th
Tool
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Bloc Party
Scissor Sisters
Mogwai
TV on the Radio
Sleater-Kinney
Phoenix
Wolf Parade
The Go! Team
Metric
Art Brut
Dungen
The Magic Numbers
Imogen Heap

If you'd like to see last year's full lineup, check it out here: http://mattstarr.blogspot.com/2005/04/coachella-breakdown.html

Unfortunately, I do not think I will be able to attend this year due to a trip to Europe in June, but I feel like there is one thing missing from this year's lineup: there aren't any big reunions or unique performances this time around. Last year we had reunions from Bauhaus and Gang of Four, not to mention several groups who made Coachella one of, if not their only US dates like New Order, The Prodigy and Black Star. Two years ago was the massive Pixies reunion plus Radiohead's only US date of the last three years. This time around, many of the bands are either currently on tour or were on tour in the last year. The only band who is at all unique is Tool, who likely have a new album coming out and will tour it following the Coachella performance. There were rumors of a Smashing Pumpkins reunion as well as Massive Attack and Portishead, but none of them came to fruition. It's a good lineup, but even if I wasn't going to Europe, I'm not sure that it's one that I'd spend all that money to go see this year.

New Shows/Full Upcoming Concert List

2006-01-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

All shows in green are new additions to the concert list, shows in red are sold out.

Robert Pollard (formerly of Guided By Voices) - Saturday, January 28th, 930 Club, $15
Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) - Saturday, January 28th, Birchmere, $17.50
Deerhoof - Saturday, January 28th, Black Cat, $10
The Hold Steady - Wednesday, February 1st, Black Cat, $10
Low - Saturday, February 4th, Black Cat, $13
RJD2 - Saturday, February 4th, 930 Club, $15
How Soon Is Now? Productions Presents: My Indie Valentine A Brit Pop and Indie Rock Dance Party - Saturday, February 4th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $5
Feist - Tuesday, February 7th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $12 adv/$15 at door
Feist - Wednesday, February 8th, Black Cat, $13
Nada Surf (w/Rogue Wave) - Thursday, February 9th, Starr Hill (Charlottesville)
Fiery Furnaces - Saturday, February 11th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $15
Supergrass - Sunday, February 12th, 930 Club, $20
Wu Tang Clan - Monday, February 13th, 930 Club, (Sold Out)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (w/ Elefant) - Monday, February 20th, 930 Club
Stars (w/Magnet) - Friday, February 24th, Black Cat, $12
Of Montreal - Wednesday, March 1st, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $10 adv/$12 at door
Mogwai - Saturday, March 4th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $14 adv/$17 at door
The Wedding Present - Sunday, March 5th, Black Cat, $15
Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers - Sunday, March 5th, 930 Club (Sold Out)
Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers - Monday, March 6th, 930 Club (Sold Out)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Wednesday, March 8th, 930 Club (Sold Out)
Queen - Thursday, March 9th, MCI Center
Metric - Thursday, March 9th, 930 Club (Early Show)
The Pogues - Thursday, March 9th, 930 Club (Late Show) (Sold Out)
The Pogues - Friday, March 10th, 930 Club (Sold Out)
The National - Wednesday, March 15th, Black Cat, $12
Silver Jews - Thursday, March 16th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $16 adv/$18 at door Animal Collective - Tuesday, March 21st, Black Cat, $13
Stereolab - Tuesday, March 21st, 930 Club, $18
Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) - Thursday, March 23rd, Birchmere
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Friday, March 24th, Black Cat, (Solt Out)
Arctic Monkeys - Monday, March 27th, 930 Club, $15
The Books - Wednesday, March 29th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $12 adv/$15 at door
Magnolia Electric Co/Destroyer - Wednesday, March 29th, Black Cat, $12
Art Brut - Sunday, April 9th, Black Cat, $12

In case anyone is interested, I currently have tickets for The Hold Steady, Stars, Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers and Wu-Tang Clan. If anyone would like to join me at any of these shows, please let me know. I am also planning on going to see The National and Art Brut as well as maybe Stereolab, maybe Arctic Monkeys or both.

The Smiths: A Retrospective

2006-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Smiths are a band that is frequently name-checked in the indie rock scene, but I have a feeling that many of the people who are constantly referencing them have never actually heard more than a few songs. One of the great strengths of The Smiths is that their entire catalogue is extremely solid and there is very little filler on any of their albums. This is definitely one advantage of only being together for 5 years, offering no time to fade into mediocrity, but I digress. I wanted to give everyone out there a brief rundown of all The Smiths albums, especially for those who wish to discover them but have no idea where to start. There are tons of compilations out there and many of them are just modified versions of other compilations, so I will do my best here to break down the albums and let you know what you need to learn everything there is to know about The Smiths' music.

Absolutely Essential

The Queen Is Dead - This is the third studio album that the Smiths released and where everything they've been tinkering with over the first few years of their careers comes together perfectly. Not only does it contain three of the bands biggest hits ("Bigmouth Strikes Again," "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side," "There Is a Light that Never Goes Out"), but also has the finest non-singles tracks of any of their albums. "Cemetry Gates" and "Frankly Mr. Shankly" could've been huge hits had they been released on their own, and the title track is one of the darkest, most intense songs that Morrissey and Johnny Marr ever wrote. The album only slips up at one point, when "I Know Its Over" and "Never Had No One Ever" come back to back. They are both excellent songs in their own right, but putting the only two slow songs back to back early in the album might stop people from progressing into the album's second half. That is such a minor flaw, however, and should not deter you. This is one of my all-time favorite albums, I promise you will not be disappointed if you go out and buy it right now.

Louder Than Bombs - What is most confusing about The Smiths is that they did not include many of their best songs on their studio albums. They released several single-only songs which not only were some of the band's finest, but also contained some brilliant B-sides. Louder Than Bombs collects all of the Smiths non-album singles, as well as most of the B-sides that accompanied them (the only glaring omissions are "Jeane" and "Handsome Devil"). What's amazing is that if you don't know which songs are singles and which are B-sides, it is nearly impossible to distinguish which is which. Songs like "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" sound perfect alongside hits like "Panic" and "William, It Was Really Nothing." There are countless compilations out there, but if you buy just one, this is the one to get, as if you buy this and all the studio albums, you will have nearly every song that The Smiths committed to record.

Also Essential

The Smiths - The Smiths' self-titled debut is not nearly as heralded as The Queen Is Dead, but it is damn close to being just as good. "This Charming Man" and "Hand In Glove" will always be the centerpieces of this album, but several of the surrounding tracks are equally as incredible. "Reel Around The Fountain," at nearly six minutes, is an interesting choice for an opener, given that it's one of the album's tamest songs, yet it works perfectly as Morrissey draws you in slowly with lyrics like "You can pin and mount me like a butterfly" and "You're the bees' knees but so am I," and by the end you can't wait to hear what's coming next. "Pretty Girls Make Graves" (taken from a line in Kerouac's The Dharma Bums) uses a wonderfully bouncy bass line coupled with Morrissey's now trademark moans and ambiguous lyrics to make a wonderfully catchy and danceable yet dark song. This album also features what I feel is perhaps The Smiths' most underrated song, "Still Ill" which features some fabulous lyrics like "There are brighter sides to life and I should know because I've seen them, but not very often," and an awesome chugging breakdown to close it out.

Definitely Worth Buying

Strangeways, Here We Come - This album was recorded as the band was falling apart and we can definitely see Morrissey taking the lead songwriting role here as many of the songs sound similar to material from his early solo career. However, this is not a bad thing and this is still very much a Smiths album. Opener "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours" might use a greater variety of instruments than your average Smiths song (most notably an organ and a xylophone), but Morrissey's growl at the start of each chorus makes this one another classic. "Girlfriend in a Coma" is a fantastically catchy pop gem and "Stop Me if You Think You've Heard this One Before" is a excellent danceable tune in the vein of some of the earlier singles. Where this album falters is in a few of the slower songs, "Death of a Disco Dancer" and "Paint a Vulgar Picture" just don't have the same appeal as earlier tunes like "Asleep" and "Half A Person." One slow song does hit the mark though, "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me," perhaps the band's strangest choice for a single, is an amazing song in which Morrissey sings about what he knows best, self-deprecation. It is difficult to know if Johnny Marr left the band because Morrissey was pushing his ideas harder this time around or if Morrissey pushed his ideas because Johnny was on the verge of leaving, but this album has a much more elaborate sound with more string sections and complex arrangements than anything they'd done before.

Meat Is Murder - It's difficult to say that any Smiths album is "the worst," but if I had to choose one, this is the one I would choose. It does contain the Smiths' most recognizable song, "How Soon Is Now?" but the song sounds out of place, considerably darker and more atmospheric than anything else on the album. Songs like "The Headmaster Ritual" and "Rusholme Ruffians" keep this album entertaining, but besides "How Soon Is Now?" the only other great song on Meat Is Murder is "I Want the One I Can't Have." Johnny's classic jangly guitar is in full effect here and I can just imagine Morrissey flailing around in frustration as he performs this song live. This album also features one of my personal favorites, "Barbarism Begins at Home," where the only chorus is Morrissey barking. It's not necessarily a classic, but definitely worth hearing. The closing song, "Meat Is Murder," however, is perhaps the worst song that the band ever wrote. It opens up with the sound of saws and cows wailing in pain, and features some of the most ridiculous lyrics I've ever heard, like "the meat in your mouth as you savor the flavor of murder." Mmmmm, delicious murder.

Other Stuff
Rank - I actually do not own this album, but I have heard it in its entirety. It is a live album recorded at London's National Ballroom towards the end of The Smiths' existence, in late 1986. It contains one new song, "The Draize Train," but feels somewhat short for a live album(apparently there are a number of songs that were recorded that same night that did not make it onto the album). There is nothing especially mindblowing here, but this is an album worth getting, especially for those who want alternate versions of their favorite songs. This is definitely not a place to start and should only be purchased by long-time fans of the band.

Hatful of Hollow - This is essentially an earlier version of Louder Than Bombs that gathered up all the band's singles and B-sides through 1984. Instead of the singles from later years, it contains several BBC Session versions of songs from the debut album, which do not add a whole lot. What is significant here is that there are two B-sides not available on Louder Than Bombs. "Accept Yourself" is nothing special, but "Handsome Devil" is an amazing song that should've been included on later compilations. It is not worth buying this album solely for that song, but if you can burn a copy from someone else, it's worth having it in your collection.

The World Won't Listen - When Louder Than Bombs was released in the US, the UK got The World Won't Listen. Because Hatful of Hollow had already been released, this compilation gathers up most of the Smiths singles and B-sides post-1984. It contains several album tracks that were also released as singles, and if you already own all the studio albums and Louder Than Bombs, there is no reason to buy this album. The only new song it contains is an instrumental entitled "Money Changes Everything" which is nice to have, but definitely not worth the price of this album.

The Singles - This is exactly what it sounds like, a compilation of all the band's singles, no B-sides included. This is a very bare-bones compilation, but if you're looking for a place to start and don't want to plop down the money for both The Queen Is Dead and Louder Than Bombs, then this is not a bad purchase. It contains nothing new, and if you own LTB and all of the studio albums, this album becomes obsolete. If you've never heard the band before and aren't sure if you'll like them, you could do worse than this album.

The Best Of The Smiths Vol. 1 & 2/The Very Best Of The Smiths - These albums are not really worth buying as they contain nothing new and all seem rather arbitrary in the songs they include. None of them present the songs in any sort of sensical order either. If you want just one album to encompass The Smiths' career, The Singles is a much better place to start.

New Albums from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Loose Fur; Art Brut Comes to Town

2006-01-13T06:46:00.000-08:00

It has been almost three years since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their full length debut (crazy how time flies), but they're finally going to release the long-awaited follow up, and no, it's not a concept album about Karen O's cat called Coco Beware (as previously reported). The new album, entitled Show Your Bones, will hit stores on March 28th, a week after the first single, "Gold Lion," is released. I really have no idea what to expect from the album, but I do know that it was produced by Squeak E. Clean (real name: Sam Spiegel), who is the brother of Karen O's boyfriend, director Spike Jonze.

In other news, Jeff Tweedy, Glenn Kotche and Jim O'Rourke, who have collaborated several times in the past, on Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born, on Jim O'Rourke's Insignificance, and on a lesser-known album released in 2003 under the name Loose Fur, are again busy in the studio. The Loose Fur album is the only one of that bunch that is not an amazing album, but hey, every trio of musical geniuses is allowed a mulligan right? Well they are releasing another album under the Loose Fur moniker entitled Born Again in the U.S.A. on March 21st. For those who may not know, it was actually Jim O'Rourke who introduced Jeff Tweedy to Glenn Kotche back before the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions began. Tweedy was so fascinated with him that he started bringing him to the studio and having him play some drum parts for the album. Needless to say, this did not sit well with Wilco's drummer at the time, Ken Coomer (who had been with the group since the Uncle Tupelo days), and he subsequently left the group, leaving Kotche as Wilco's drummer. Oh, and a little more background info, Jim O'Rourke is known mostly as a producer, but was also a member of Sonic Youth for a few years and has released several solo albums that run the gamut from rock to avant-garde classical. With all this talent coming together the new Loose Fur album has to be good, right?

Lastly, a band who released one of my favorite albums of 2005 (though it did not make the list because I bought it after the list was already finished), Art Brut is coming to the Black Cat on Sunday, April 9th. Their debut album Bang Bang Rock and Roll is absolutely fantastic and sounds something along the lines of what would happen if Jarvis Cocker fronted The Buzzcocks. The lyrics are some of the funniest I've heard in years and the songs are rather catchy, definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.

Oh, one last little note. Both Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers shows sold out in a matter of minutes, so let the war on craigslist begin.

Arctic Monkeys/Radiohead/Futureheads News

2006-01-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

Alright, a few bits of news to report here. First off, Britain's new "it" band, The Arctic Monkeys are coming to town in March. They'll be playing the 930 Club on Monday, March 27th. Their single "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor" is available now on iTunes and is quite catchy. They're labelmates with Franz Ferdinand, but their sound is a bit grimier and punkier. Of course, I've heard only one song, so I have no idea what their album will sound like. The debut in question, Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not, will be available in the US on February 21st, but it comes out in England on January 23rd, so it may be available on iTunes at that point.

Also, Radiohead was recently turned down in an attempt to play at a new Frank Gehry-designed pavilion inside Chicago's Millenium Park. Why is this significant? Because there were proposed dates for these shows, June 19th and 20th. This means Radiohead is most definitely coming to the US, and we've got a good idea of the time period.

And in even more news on music from across the pond, The Futureheads have just finished recording their second album and plan to mix it over the next three weeks. If all goes according to plan, the album will hit stores in late April and they will be touring the US sometime this Spring or Summer. Unfortunately there will not be any Kate Bush covers this time around (damn!), but singer/guitarist Barry Hyde claims that "it's quite a brave statement of an album." Interesting, yet bold move coming off a very successful debut, but I like these guys and they've got some talent so they might be able to pull it off.

Update To Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers Tour

2006-01-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

Tour dates are out, and this tour is stopping for not just one, but two dates at the 930 Club. Given the strength of this bill, I'd expect the show to sell out immediately so I'm giving you all a heads up on how to get your tickets. According to the Belle & Sebastian website, they will be playing Sunday, March 5th and Monday, March 6th and tickets will be going on sale next Thursday (January 12th) at 10 AM at www.tickets.com. Also of note, it appears that Belle & Sebastian will be the headliner for this tour while The New Pornographers will be opening, so expect a shorter set from the Pornographers this time around.

First Post of 2006

2006-01-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Nothing much to say music-wise today, but I figured I'd come on briefly and discuss plans for the upcoming year. I should be posting more often, so expect more album and concert reviews as well as random thoughts that I may have about the state of music at that particular time. I'm also hoping to be able to start streaming music through the site, so that readers can hear the music that I'm talking about instead of just having to read my sad attempts to describe it. I'm also working on starting a new blog, howsoonisnowproductions.blogspot.com, which will document the progress of the dance parties we've been putting on at the Satellite Ballroom in Charlottesville. I'm hoping to branch out and start DJing at some more venues, hopefully closer to DC. The blog will contain playlists and announcements of upcoming events.

In other news, the new Strokes album is not very good, a bit disappointing, but their time seems to have kinda passed anyway. The Strokes were something that we desperately needed in 2001, but four and a half years later, there are thousands of other bands that sound just like them and they have not done enough since to separate themselves from those other groups. First Impressions of Earth is not a bad album, but it's just very average, a few good songs but nothing groundbreaking, but I don't really expect The Strokes to be breaking new ground these days. Suffice it to say, they're just not relevant anymore. So I would like to thank The Strokes for one amazing album (Is This It?) and one pretty good one (Room on Fire), but the holiday is over. Thanks for the memories guys, I'll always thank you for bringing rock back into the popular music lexicon.

There are some other new albums coming out in the next few months, hopefully these will not be as disappointing:

Love Is All - Nine Times That Same Song - January 24th, 2006
Tortoise & Bonnie Prince Billy - The Brave and the Bold - January 24th, 2006
Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) - Rabbit Fur Coat - January 24th, 2006
Cat Power - The Greatest - January 24th, 2006
Robert Pollard (of Guided By Voices) - From a Compound Eye - January 24th, 2006
Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - February 7th, 2006
Liars - Drum's Not Dead - February 21st, 2006
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not - February 21st, 2006
Mogwai - Mr. Beast - March 7th, 2006
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - March 7th, 2006
Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors - March 21st, 2006
Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics - April 4th, 2006
Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat - April 4th, 2006
Tortoise - R, R, C - April 11th, 2006
Radiohead - New Album - Spring/Summer, 2006
The Shins - New Album - Summer, 2006

Belle and Sebastian/New Pornographers to Tour, Radiohead Coming to US this Summer

2005-12-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

Two quick bits of news to report here. First off, the word from both the New Pornographers' (http://www.thenewpornographers.com/) and Belle and Sebastian's (http://www.belleandsebastian.com/) websites report that the two bands will be joining together for a US tour sometime this winter. Given that Belle and Sebastian has dates booked through February 10th in England, I have a feeling that the tour likely won't start until after that. There is no word on whether or not there will be a DC date, but this may be a show worth travelling for. For those who may not know, Belle and Sebastian have a new album coming out on February 7th entitled The Life Pursuit, their first full album of new material since 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

In other, more vague news, (from www.ateaseweb.com) Radiohead's new album looks like it's being pushed back at least into the Spring, as they're heading back into the studio in February to continue work. They are not working with longtime producer Nigel Godrich, who has produced every Radiohead album from The Bends on, this time around, and are instead working with Mark "Spike" Stent, who has worked with Madonna and Bjork in the past. Guitarist Ed O'Brien said that the band will be touring the UK and Europe in May and plan to come to the US this summer. Once again, no dates have been announced, but if they are anywhere on the east coast, I will be there.

2005 Recap, Part 3, Albums of the Year

2005-12-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Here we go, the coup de gras of year-end recaps, the top 10 albums. I had a lot of trouble this year and there were a lot of excellent albums that got left off, but I like what I've come up with, and I hope you do too.

1) The Decemberists - Picaresque - I'd never been a big fan of the Decemberists in the past as I'd always felt like there was something missing in their music. Certain songs would hit, but so many of them seemed incomplete. Well, apparently they read my mind and filled in all the pieces because this is a complete and brilliant album. The band's sound has gradually evolved over the last few years peaking with Picaresque. It's got it all: catchy pop songs ("The Sporting Life," "Sixteen Military Wives"), heartwrenching ballads ("On The Bus Mall," "Of Angels and Angles") and an amazing epic ("Mariner's Revenge Song") that brings it all home. Colin Meloy's lyrics have always been the strong point of The Decemberists and adding them to a collection of songs so strong makes this an impossible album to beat this year.

2) The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema - I've found that it's pretty rare these days that one of my favorite bands actually releases an album that lives up to my expectations, but to exceed them and blow them out of the water is a phenomenon that occurs only once every few years. The New Pornographers made two albums of delicious pop diddies (Mass Romantic, The Electric Version), but with this album they added the one element that had been noticeably absent from those two, emotion. In the past, the band seemed to be exactly what they were, a collection of musicians who would get together every couple of years to have fun and write some catchy tunes. Well, this time around they sound like a real band and all the pieces gel just right. Now don't get me wrong, the pop is still there on the title track and songs like "Use It" and "Sing Me Spanish Techno," but never before have the New Pornographers been able to give me chills like they do on "The Bleeding Heart Show." And having Neko Case sing the ballads, including the unbelievable "These Are the Fables," instead of the decided pop hits was a brilliant change of pace move by my boy Carl Newman.

3) Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

4) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - I'm not sure exactly what these guys were doing putting such an atrocious song as "Clap Your Hands"at the start of the album, but I beg you all, just skip to the next track and you'll understand what the buzz behind these guys is all about. Every song after that, from the "true" opener "Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away" to one of the year's best songs "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth," to "In This Home On Ice" at the end of the album, is sheer indie pop brilliance. The influences are clear, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc., but these guys write such catchy and off-beat songs that it doesn't matter. My only concern is that Alec Ounsworth's head gets too big before the next album comes around and the band implodes on itself, but for the moment, feel free to get up, dance and, ahem, clap your hands.

5) The National - Alligator

6) The Clientele - Strange Geometry

7) M.I.A. - Arular

8) M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us - 2003's Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts had some excellent moments and set a dark, intense mood, but at times I felt a distance between myself and the music. Two years later, after losing partner Nicolas Fromageau, Anthony Gonzalez returns with an album that builds on his previous work, adding more guitars, more sonic layers and a newfound pop sensability that makes this album much easier to digest. The mood is still dark, but there are more vocal samples smattered throughout the album which keep things interesting, plus "Don't Save Us From the Flames" and "Teen Angst" are amazing singles which stand out, yet don't take away from their surrounding tracks. The electronic My Bloody Valentine comparisons are still valid and I can't wait to see where Gonzalez goes next.

9) Sufjan Stevens - Illinois - There is one reason that this album is not higher on this list than it currently is, and that is that Sufjan needs to learn that sometimes less is more. This album runs through a bevy of emotions and broadens his range much farther than he's ever gone for the first sixteen tracks. Then, right around track 17, this album starts into a distinct tailspin and there is nothing in those last six songs that even touches what the first sixteen brought. That is not to say that I don't like this album, because I do, it is fantastic. Songs like "Casimir Pulaski Day" and "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." tug on your heartstrings while "Chicago" and "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!" are exceptional pop songs. My favorite song though, is "Decatur," a simple tune featuring Sufjan singing over a banjo, acoustic guitar and accordion in which he includes every possible word that remotely rhymes with Decatur (alligator, operator, aviator, debater, emancipator, congratulate her, etc.).

10 (tie) Stars - Set Yourself on Fire & Vitalic - OK Cowboy

2005 Recap, Part 2, Disappointments and Surprises

2005-12-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

I feel like this year, more than any other, I was disappointed by a number of albums that I was really looking forward to, so I thought a section about disappointments would make a worthy addition to my Year in Review series of posts.

Disappointments:

1) Daft Punk - Human After All - 2001's Discovery is one of my all-time favorite albums, 1997's Homework was one of the first electronic albums I ever bought and is the only one from that era that I still listen to regularly, so my expectations were rather high for the long-awaited third album this year. Suffice it to say, I was shocked when I finally heard it. For an album that was four years in the making, it sounded surprisingly rushed and unfinished, plus many of the songs sounded like rehashes of Daft Punk songs from years' past. My anger is not as strong as it was when I first reviewed this album, so I'm going to give them a mulligan here. Daft Punk revealed that they actually were "human after all" (teehee) by making a very mediocre album, but I expect all the negative press will whip their butts back into shape and get them to make their next album so good that we all forget this ever happened.

2) Weezer - Make Believe - Now, maybe I'm in the minority here, but I really liked Maladroit and when I heard some of the demos that were being considered as possible songs for this album, I got really excited. Unfortunately, two years on and off in the studio combined with Rivers heading back to Harvard derailed this album, making it Weezer's worst-to-date by a longshot. Maybe I've just grown out of them, but this does not like the same band who recorded brilliant back-to-back albums in the mid-90s. I think Weezer's time in the sun may be over, Rivers just has nothing new to contribute as a songwriter and what is he writing just keeps getting worse and worse. They should stop now before they forever taint their legacy.

3) Coldplay - X&Y - I loved Coldplay back in 2000 when Parachutes came out and continued to love them through A Rush of Blood to the Head, but I started to worry a bit when I noticed that Rush didn't have nearly the same staying power as Parachutes did. I found myself tiring of the album very quickly and not really ever feeling the desire to put it on the old stereo. X&Y continue Coldplay's decline, and yet somehow they've gotten even more famous than they were before because of it. I'm not going to go off on a Coldplay rant, because they're not an awful band, they're just extremely overrated. This album had some highpoints like "Talk," "Fix You" and the meant-for-Johnny Cash "Kingdom Come," but so much of it sounded like retreads of old Coldplay songs (see "Speed of Sound") and there weren't any songs that had the power of "Clocks" or the emotion of "Don't Panic." I'm sure Coldplay will continue to release mediocre albums for many years and maintain their popularity, but this is probably the last one that I buy.

4) Beck - Guero - Beck makes this list for a combined disappointing album/live performance. His short, unspired concert at the Patriot Center this fall was one of the only shows I saw this year where I felt like I just didn't get my money's worth, and Guero was maybe the worst of Beck's career to date. Until now Beck had made a career of redefining himself (disco on Midnite Vultures, acoustic ballads on Sea Change) a la David Bowie, but on this one, he seemed to want to make an album that summed everything to date up into a nice little package. Unfortunately, at least in my humble opinion, he failed quite miserably. Guero really is a pretty decent album, but it just is not nearly up to the standard that Beck has shown us he can produce albums at. Also, the surprise of "what will the next album be like?" has always kept me on my toes, and frankly, I found myself a little bored with this one. Been there, done that, c'mon Beck, get back in there and give us something new, and hopefully you haven't hit the wall like Bowie did in the early 80s.

Pleasant Surprise

Return to "Goodness" - Exciter, ULTRA, Heathen Chemistry, Republic, Get Ready. What do those five albums have in common? They can all be found in your local record store's used bin. I swear, go check right now, they'll all be in there, and they're also the last few albums from Depeche Mode, Oasis and New Order. All three bands released albums this year that proved that they can still, in fact, write good songs and play good music. None will likely ever return to the hey-days of their careers, but given where they were at one time or another, it'd be almost impossible to ask of them. Playing the Angel, Don't Believe The Truth and Waiting For the Sirens' Call at least gave me hope that old favorites can still give me some good tunes that remind me of the old days instead of covering my ears and begging for those days.

2005 Recap, Part 1, Concerts of the Year

2005-12-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

I'm going to begin my recap of the year in music with my favorite concerts of 2005. I went to about 30 shows or so, so I feel like I can make a pretty good determination of what was good and what wasn't. Hey, I'm only one man, and one man who works 40 hours a week no less, I can't see them all, but hopefully this list will be comprehensive enough for you guys.

1) M.I.A. at Coachella - In each year of my Coachella experience there has been one performance where I've felt as if I was witnessing something truly special. Last year it was the Pixies, and this year it was a little Sri Lankan girl by way of England named M.I.A. Now, I know I probably didn't need to introduce her, but you must remember, this was the end of April, and her album had only recently been released in the US, not to mention that this was only her second show in the United States, EVER. The crowd had no idea what to expect, but they were out en masse for a mid-afternoon show in one of the side tents, and I could feel the anticipation growing as we waited for M.I.A. to take the stage. When she did, the crowd went absolutely insane and she fed off the energy, sending her performance through the roof. The mutual love between M.I.A. and the crowd created one of the best concert environments I've ever been a part of, and it took only a few songs for me to understand that I was watching a superstar being born before my eyes. (to read more about the performance see my Coachella wrap-up in the May, 2005 archives of the blog)

2) The Decemberists at the 930 Club (October 2nd) - When The Decemberists came to town in the Spring, I hesitated about going and by the time I'd made my decision to go, the show had sold out. When they came back a few months later, I had had some time to digest their new album, Picaresque, a bit more, as well as delve further into their back catalogue and had become a full fledged Decemberists fan. (something I couldn't have said in the Spring) They opened the show by playing their five-part opus The Tain in its entirety, complete with acting out scenes and instrument-switching galore. They continued on playing note-perfect renditions of Picaresque songs as well as throwing in a few songs from older albums here and there. The regular set closer, "The Mariner's Revenge Song" was absolutely brilliant with the audience being asked to participate by screaming like they were being eaten by a whale. Multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk ran around the stage with working giant wooden whale head as the audience went crazy. What made this show so spectacular wasn't just the excellent music or the performance aspect of the show, but the band's energy and excitement to be performing for us. Colin Meloy had repeated looks in his eyes that almost said, "I can't believe I get paid to do this." Some people may love bombastic rock stars, but when artists have this humble attitude towards peforming, it makes me feel like I'm witnessing something personal and it brings the audience closer.

3) Depeche Mode at the Patriot Center (December 9th) - I'm just going to throw this out there right now, there is no better frontman in music right now than Dave Gahan. Even at the age of 43, the man has just as much, if not more, energy than he had in Depeche Mode's late 80s hey-day, and he still has the body to take off his shirt and get the girls screaming when shakes his ass. Though they may have played one or two too many songs from the new album (not that it's bad, there were just countless old songs I wanted to hear that didn't get played), everything they did looked and sounded spectacular. Their elaborate stage set featuring a giant robot, several screens and futuristic looking keyboard stands was about as visually pleasing as any I've ever seen. But in the end it came down to the music and the energy. By the time they launched into a blistering version of "I Feel You," (a song I was convinced I didn't like until right then) the crowd was putty in Gahan's hands and anything he asked for was given to him by the crowd with pure joy, from handclaps to singing to swinging their arms from side to side. After that, the hits just kept on coming, climaxing in a version of "Everything Counts" that seemed to be right off the 101 live album and had the crowd going wild. I would've liked them to play for another hour or two, but I guess leaving a show wanting to hear more isn't the worst feeling in the world. I wasn't sure what Depeche Mode would be like after all these years, but damn, they definitely still have it.

4) Sigur Ros at Strathmore Music Center (September 11th) - I think anything I had to say about this show I said in my review of it back in September which you can read here: http://mattstarr.blogspot.com/2005/09/finally-real-update.html
Let me reiterate, this was an intense experience, one I definitely recommend having if you get the chance. (That is, of course, saying that you like Sigur Ros, if not, you might not enjoy the show nearly as much)

5) LCD Soundsystem & M.I.A. at the 930 Club (June 12th) - Now, I hesitated before putting M.I.A. on here twice, but the strength of this double bill was just too hard to ignore. Between when this show was scheduled and when it actually occurred, I think M.I.A. may have actually eclipsed LCD Soundsystem in popularity, but they kept to the plan and M.I.A. remained the opening act. The crowd for her wasn't quite as intense as at Coachella, especially early on as the late-comers were still filing into the venue, but about halfway through, the audience started to get their collective bounce on and the energy level in the 930 Club skyrocketed. I almost felt bad for LCD Soundsystem having to follow up such an intense performance, but James Murphy and company were more than up to the task. They only played about 9 or 10 songs, but each one veered off into some sort of dance-punk tangent, kinda like a jam band, only much much cooler and with music you can actually dance to and don't need drugs to enjoy. Murphy went wild when he wasn't singing, shaking his bevy of tambourines, banging on a small drum set and playing whatever other instruments were untended at any particular moment. I'm not going to go off on any sort of emotional tangent here, because I was never brought to the verge of tears at any moment, but dammit, I had some serious fun and danced my fucking ass off.

I Promise, I'm Going to Update More Often

2005-12-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

I'm going to begin this with a list of upcoming shows, after that there should be plenty of new stuff to read in the coming days, so stay tuned.

Prefuse 73 - Friday, December 30th, Black Cat, $15
Supersystem w/Ris Paul Ric - Saturday, January 7th, Black Cat, $9
The Travis Morrison Hellfighters - Tuesday, January 10th, Black Cat, $7
Unlimited Sunshine Tour (featuring Cake, Teegan & Sara and Gogol Bordello) - Saturday, January 21st, 930 Club (Sold Out)
Robert Pollard (formerly of Guided By Voices) - Saturday, January 28th, 930 Club, $15
Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) - Saturday, January 28th, Birchmere, $17.50
Deerhoof - Saturday, January 28th, Black Cat, $10
The Hold Steady - Wednesday, February 1st, Black Cat, $10
Low - Saturday, February 4th, Black Cat, $13
RJD2 - Saturday, February 4th, 930 Club, $15
Brit Pop & Indie Rock Valentine's Day (presented by How Soon Is Now? Productions (which is me and Ian)) - Saturday, February 4th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $5
Feist - Tuesday, February 7th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $12 adv/$15 at door
Feist - Wednesday, February 8th, Black Cat, $13
Nada Surf (w/Rogue Wave) - Thursday, February 9th, Starr Hill (Charlottesville)
Fiery Furnaces - Saturday, February 11th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville)
Supergrass - Sunday, February 12th, 930 Club, $20
Wu Tang Clan - Monday, February 13th, 930 Club, $50
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (w/ Elefant) - Monday, February 20th, 930 Club
Stars - Friday, February 24th, Black Cat, $12
Of Montreal - Wednesday, March 1st, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $10 adv/$12 at door
Mogwai - Saturday, March 4th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville),
Queen - Thursday, March 9th, MCI Center
Metric - Thursday, March 9th, 930 Club (Early Show)
The Pogues - Thursday, March 9th, 930 Club (Late Show) (Sold Out)
The Pogues - Friday, March 10th, 930 Club (Sold Out)
Silver Jews - Thursday, March 16th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $16 adv/$18 at door
Animal Collective - Tuesday, March 21st, Black Cat, $13
Stereolab - Tuesday, March 21st, 930 Club
The Books - Wednesday, March 29th, Satellite Ballroom (Charlottesville), $12 adv/$15 at door

2005-11-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Alright, most of the shows I'd had up have passed and some new ones have been announced. We're getting into that late fall/early winter concert lull, but there are a few decent shows coming up.

The Black Keys - Saturday, November 12th, 930 Club, $15
Ris Paul Ric (formerly of Q and not U) - Monday, November 14th, Black Cat, $7
Okkervil River(w/Charles Bissell of The Wrens) - Monday, November 14th, Iota, $10
LCD Soundsystem (w/The Juan Maclean) - Tuesday, November 15th, Sonar, $20
Andrew Bird (w/Head of Femur) - Thursday, November 17th, Black Cat, $13
De La Soul - Thursday, November 17th, Sonar, $20
Bright Eyes (w/ Feist and the Magic Numbers) - Friday, November 18th, Constitution Hall, $25
Echo and the Bunnymen - Friday, November 18th, Black Cat (Sold Out)
Hot Hot Heat (w/We Are Scientists) - Saturday, November 19th, Sonar, $18
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Tuesday, November 22nd, Ottobar
Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Friday, November 25th, 930 Club, $40
The Dandy Warhols - Sunday, November 27th, 930 Club, $25
Iron & Wine/Calexico - Wednesday, November 30th, 930 Club, $18
Mark Gardener (of Ride) - Friday, December 2nd, Iota, $12
Rogue Wave - Saturday, December 3rd, Black Cat, $12
X - Monday, December 5th, 930 Club, $25
American Analog Set - Tuesday, December 6th, Black Cat, $10
Depeche Mode - Friday, December 9th, Patriot Center
Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) - Saturday, January 28th, Birchmere

Best of the 70s

2005-10-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

So I've been listening to a lot of music from the 70s lately and using many "Best Of" lists to sift through all the music released in that decade. Two lists that are quite comprehensive and well-compiled are pitchforkmedia.com's list (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/top/70s/) which combines popular music with more obscure stuff that is much less obvious, and Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/5938174?rnd=1129926547225&has-player=false) which, as Rolling Stone is known to do, sticks with mostly more popular music. Now, I decided that I would attempt to combine these two lists and make a full-on Best of the 70s list that both Rolling Stone and pitchfork readers alike can enjoy. The criteria was simple: I broke Rolling Stone's list into just albums from the 70s, then removed the compilations and greatest hits albums and made a Rolling Stone Top 100 of the 70s list. I then compared the two lists and any album that was on both lists made it onto the final copy. The album's placement on this list is based on the average of the placements on the two other lists, so without further ado, here is the list:

1) The Clash – London Calling
2) Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
3) Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street
4) The Who – Who’s Next
5) Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV
6) Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
7) Ramones – Ramones
8) Sly and the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Going On
9) Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
10) Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
11) Television – Marquee Moon
12) Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
13) Velvet Underground – Loaded
14) The Beatles – Let It Be
15) Pink Floyd – The Wall
16) John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band
17) Sex Pistols – Nevermind the Bollocks
18) Michael Jackson – Off The Wall
19) The Clash – The Clash
20) T. Rex – Electric Warrior
21) Saturday Night Fever – Original Soundtrack
22) Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
23) Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model
24) The Stooges – Funhouse
25) David Bowie – Low
26) David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
27) Joni Mitchell – Blue
28) Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express
29) Ramones – Rocket to Russia
30) Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True
31) Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
32) David Bowie – Hunky Dory
33) Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
34) Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
35) Blondie – Parallel Lines
36) The Stooges – Raw Power
37) Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy
38) The Harder They Come – Original Soundtrack
39) Nick Drake – Bryter Later
40) Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at the Black Cat

2005-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

So DCist already covered most of the territory that I would have in this post: http://www.dcist.com/archives/2005/10/19/clap_your_hands_saymeh.php#more

But I wanted to take a second to voice my own opinion. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah made a great album, and did it without a record contract, a very impressive feat that is earning them a lot more money than your average indie band. However, even if they are proud of themselves, that doesn't excuse them from barely showing up at the Black Cat last night to play an uninspired set that disappointed most everyone attending the sold out show. The show kicked off with some promise before singer Alec Ounsworth decided that he could stop caring about 5 songs in. He mumbled words, didn't finish lines and frankly didn't seem to care that all these people had some out to see his band perform. Clearly he thought rather highly of his songs to attempt to release them without a label, but now that he's tasted success, his ego seems to be growing to epic proportions. He's got all the makings of a primadonna who could sabotage his band before they even finish recording their second album. As for the rest of the band, except for guitarist/keyboardist Robbie Guertin, they didn't have an iota of energy. Guertin bounced around, but it appeared the rest of the band was judging him the entire time as brothers Lee and Tyler Sargent stayed stonefaced and looked bored off their asses.

A memo to Ounsworth and Co.: You guys write and record excellent music, but you are not THE SHIT quite yet. Just showing up at a venue is not enough to warrant the thousands of dollars you guys are earning each show. Find yourself a rehearsal space, work on your stage presence, don't look so pissed off that you have the greatest job in the world and get in sync with one another. Come back to me in a year and if you've fixed these things, you may have a future. Otherwise this band is doomed to failure, and sooner rather than later.

I'm the DJ?

2005-10-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well last Friday, sitting in traffic going to and from the Coldplay concert at Nissan Pavilion (I will never go to a concert there ever again), Ian and I started brainstorming an idea for a Smiths/Cure Dance Party in Charlottesville. We thought that with the lack of things to do in Charlottesville, especially for the under-21 crowd, that putting on something different like this could really succeed. Well Ian mentioned that he happened to know the owner of the Satellite Ballroom, a new venue in Charlottesville that hosts mostly indie rock shows, and that he'd shoot him an email when he got home.

Well, to our surprise, on Tuesday, Ian received an email that read as follows:
ian, i love the idea. what night do you want? i'd like it to be something easy to remember like the 1st X of the month or last X of the month or something like that. let me know and i'll get you a date today. best,peter

Well, we were a bit shocked that he just jumped on the idea so quickly, but damn, we took it. Unfortunately, things hit a couple of speed bumps, namely that it looks like the Dance Party is going to have to be 21+ given the alcohol laws in Virginia, but really, I think we'll survive. I mean, we're hosting a fucking DANCE PARTY!!! So here are the details for all interested:

How Soon Is Now Productions Presents
The Smiths vs. The Cure Dance Party, Saturday November 5th
Satellite Ballroom, Charlottesville
21+

Oh, I neglected to mention, I will be DJing this event, so this will be the first official live performance for DJ Starrscream. It's a bit scary to think that this is in 4 weeks and I don't even have all my equipment yet, but I should be alright, right?

Album Release Dates

2005-09-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

This Fall there are some awesome albums coming out from bands both new and old, just thought I'd put a semi-comprehensive list of releases in the coming weeks.

Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary, September 27th
Ryan Adams - Jacksonville City Nights, September 27th
Franz Ferdinand - You Can Have It So Much Better, October 4th
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene, October 4th
My Morning Jacket - Z, October 4th
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (US Version), October 4th
The Clientele - Strange Geometry, October 11th
Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel, October 18th
Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase, October 18th
Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers, October 18th
Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir, October 25th
Wilco - Kicking Television: Live in Chicago, November 15th (new date)
Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness (Live), November 15th
Outkast - Idlewild, December 6th
The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth, January 3rd, 2006
Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors, April, 2006

If I've missed anything, please add a comment onto the end of this post with forgotten albums.

Finally A Real Update

2005-09-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been posting only concert updates for so long that I guess I should write about a few that I've been to, since I finally have some downtime at work. Throughout this week I will be posting reviews of shows that I've attended over the last couple of weeks in no particular order.

I will begin with the Sigur Ros show at the Strathmore Music Center on September 11th, which you can listen to here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4834623 (thank you NPR for letting me relive this amazing show over and over again). For those who don't know, Sigur Ros' music is an interesting mix of ambient, shoegaze, alt-rock and classical music that seems nearly impossible to recreate live, but their ability to do so is exactly what made this such an unbelievable show. Singer/guitarist Jonsi Birgisson's voice is so otherworldly on record that you have to believe that it's run through computers forwards and backwards before it actually gets to your ears, but seeing/hearing the voice come directly from his mouth absolutely blew me away.

The show opened just as their new album Takk. . . does with the title-track intro leading into the album's first single, "Glosoli," while the band played behind a translucent curtain and spotlights behind them cast their oversized shadows onto it. As the song grew more intense the lights got brighter and moved faster and I got chills when the song hit its climax. Drums were pounded, guitars were shredded, but by the end of the song, I started to worry about the curtain making me feel disconnected from the band. Thankfully, this was only a concern for about a minute as the curtains parted after the song to reveal the band shifting around to different instruments in preparation for their next opus, which just happened to be one of my favorites, Agaetis Byrjun's "Ny Batteri." It was at this point that I was finally able to see that Jonsi's voice was indeed coming from a human, and as he played his guitar with a bow, I just sat back in complete bliss and let the music sink in. They continued onto an amazing version of "Svefn-G-Englar" which pushed me further into a world in which Sigur Ros could do no wrong, and then unbelievably, they took it to the next level. The next song, "Saeglopur," which I had never heard before, began very quietly with just a xylophone and piano as the string section (and opening act) Amina took the stage. The song builds with almost a pop-song structure for the first few minutes, then breaks down into strings, effects and vocals as it works its way back to the minimalism it began with. It has quickly become one of my favorite songs.

From there, the band continued playing songs from Agaetis Byrjun, ( ) and Takk. . ., but I was so entranced that it didn't matter what they played, I would've loved it anyway. I was only awakened as the band members started to leave the stage several songs later as drummer Orri Pall Dyrason manipulated sounds he'd recorded throughout the last song, playing snippets of vocals, piano other other instruments which slowly faded to silence. (a la Radiohead's classic show ender "Everything in its Right Place") They returned to play the epic "Popplagia" (aka Track 8 on ( )) and as the song reached its peak, the curtains began to close, and the band finished the show just as they had started it, with only shadows visible and bright lights shining in all directions. At this point, I found the curtain to be much more appropriate as they couldn't have just stopped playing and ended the show, the emotional connection with the audience was too strong. They needed to visually distance themselves first, signifying that the end was almost here. (Yes, that sounds cheesy, but it was definitely true) They came out afterwards for a bow, and what we all hoped was one more song, but the cheering was to no avail, only producing a second trip onto the stage for one last bow. Even without that last song, no one left disappointed, and I will champion Sigur Ros as one of the best live bands out there from here on out.

I'm Lazy

2005-08-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

So work has been busy lately and I haven't been able to actually put up a decent post, but here is a comprehensive list of all upcoming concerts. Go see some shows and when you return there will be new material for you to read. (Update: Depeche Mode and Kanye West added, second Death Cab show, Decemberists, Q and not U sold out)

Son Volt - Friday, October 21st, 930 Club, $20
Ambulance LTD - Saturday, October 22nd, Black Cat, $10 in advance/$12 at door
Death Cab for Cutie (w/Stars) - Sunday, October 23rd and Monday, October 24th, 930 Club (Both Days Sold Out)
Broken Social Scene - Wednesday, October 26th, 930 Club, $20
Ween - Thursday, October 27th, 930 Club (Sold Out)
Kanye West (w/Common) - Sunday, October 30th, Patriot Center, $48
Nine Inch Nails (w/Queens of the Stone Age and Death From Above 1979) – Wednesday, November 2nd, MCI Center, $45
Super Furry Animals (w/Caribou) - Tuesday, November 8th, 930 Club
The Black Keys - Saturday, November 12th, 930 Club, $15
Okkervil River(w/Charles Bissell of The Wrens) - Monday, November 14th, Iota, $10
LCD Soundsystem (w/The Juan Maclean) - Tuesday, November 15th, Sonar
Andrew Bird (w/Head of Femur) - Thursday, November 17th, Black Cat, $13
Bright Eyes - Friday, November 18th, Constitution Hall, $25
Echo and the Bunnymen - Friday, November 18th, Black Cat, $20
Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Friday, November 25th, 930 Club, $40
The Dandy Warhols - Sunday, November 27th, 930 Club, $25
Depeche Mode - Friday, December 9th, Patriot Center

The Concerts Don't Stop

2005-08-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Even more shows have been announced, this fall schedule is getting ridiculous, but I love it.

Doves (w/Longwave) - Saturday, September 17th, Sonar (Baltimore)
Thievery Corporation, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Le Tigre and More - Saturday, September 24th, Operation Cease Fire on the Washington Monument Grounds, FREE!
Architecture in Helsinki - Friday, October 7th, Black Cat, $10
The Black Keys - Saturday, November 12th, 930 Club
LCD Soundsystem (w/The Juan Maclean) - Tuesday, November 15th, Sonar
Bright Eyes - Friday, November 18th, Constitution Hall
Echo and the Bunnymen - Friday, November 18th, Black Cat