The Clean
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FMDXSxm3jI
This had to have inspired Jay. Had to! Especially the circus like toy piano and, most obviously, the vocals!
All posts by G. Gordon Gritty
Band Spotlight: The Barbaras
History: Five best friends who’ve been making jamz since 2006, at the latest. Maybe even earlier than that. It’s a band that features members of The Boston Chinks and possibly some other dudes, though we’ll never know for certain.
Years Active: 2006-Present
Label: Goner/In The Red
Genre: Bubblegum/Psychedelic Pop
Line-Up: Will, Billy, Alex, Bennett, Stephen, Ben, Michael, and Ray.
Musical Style: Like others have said, they sound like the Beach Boys with a little bit more of an experimental knack. I’m sure a notable portion of King of the Beach was inspired by these recordings that Billy and Stephen were in on. They also sometimes sound like a happy Jay Reatard. Huh?
Best Album: I don’t think they’ve released a full length yet.
Top Songs: All of the songs on their Myspace page are pretty grand.
CD Review: Personal Life [2010]
Band: The Thermals
Release: 9/2010
Label: Kill Rock Stars
1. “I’m Gonna Change Your Life” – B+
2. “I Don’t Believe You” – A
3. “Never Listen To Me” – A-
4. “Not Like Any Feeling” – B+
5. “Power Lies” – B+
6. “Only For You” – A-
7. “Alone, A Fool” – B
8. “Your Love Is Strong” – B+
9. “A Reflection” – B+
10. “You Changed My Life” – B+
Comments: The Thermals, how am I so divided on thee, I do not know. You guys are catchy and stuff, although vocally a little annoying. Sorry. I said this about your last album, too. You sound good, don’t me wrong. “I Don’t Believe You” is an amazing track. It’s their best since “A Pillar of Salt,” maybe because it works so much like that one. What is admirable about The Thermals is that they work against the grain of traditional “pop-punk” or revivalist “post-punk.” The instrumentation is superb — you can kind of tell these guys have “had it” since they’ve formed. This saves them on the songs that aren’t of “A Pillar” or “I Don’t Believe You” substance. When all is said and done, I think this is a really positive step forward for The Thermals. It’s a better record than Now We Can See.
Grade: B+ (88)
Song of the Day: “Crush” By Tall Dwarfs
Box Elders To Provide Polka Music
Unless there’s another Box Elders in Nebraska, the Box Elders that KLYAM knows and loves will be providing polka music at the American Legion Hall in Tobias, Nebraska this Saturday, August 21.
I can’t imagine this happening just as much as I can’t imagine another Nebraskan band choosing to name themselves Box Elders. That’s blasphemous…even if from a polka act!
Ian Promises New Record February 2011
A good question to have asked any member of Black Lips in the past three weeks or so would have been: “How’s the next record coming along?”
What’s for sure is that it won’t include “Before You Judge Me” or “Best Napkin I Ever Had.” What’s also for sure is that the as of now untitled LP is done. Thanks to Ian for the public information. And he’s promised that it will be released in February of 2011, a good two years since 200 Million Thousand hit shelves.
Can’t wait!
Concert Review: Deerhunter, Kurt Vile, K-Holes @ Royale (8/13/10)
Bands: K-Holes/Kurt Vile/Deerhunter
Date: Friday, August 13, 2010
Venue: Royale (Boston, MA)
Act One– K-Holes – I liked these guys and girls a good amount better this time around than on the Rocks Off NYC cruise concert. Jack Hines and crew rocked out what I now term horror punk. They play with a certain mystique that really comes out when the trumpet is on full blast and when the lady vocalist sings and utilizes the shaker. When Hines sung, I couldn’t help but think of We Did Not Know era Black Lips…like on “Swamp Fires.” Other songs definitely played were “Native Tongues,” “Step N Fetch It,” and “The Gutter.”
Chris– Glen speaks the truth here. K-Holes are Kickass! They have a simple vibe to them, but present themselves in a very solemn, quiet manner that draws you in and never lets you go. Jack Hines’ frenetic guitar playing and Cole-like screaming demonstrate that his Black Lips roots are still evident.
Act Two – Kurt Vile and the Violators – True story: Kurt was boring and musically draggy in July when he headlined at Harpers Ferry. At that time, it seemed like him and the other guitarist were going heavy on the effects and slacking mightily on replicating some of their best recorded songs. This time, with the crucial assistance of a third guitar player, songs like “Freeway” (the best number these guys cranked out) and “Overnite Religion” bordered on greatness. Whatever they didn’t have at the Harpers Ferry gig, they seemed to have at the Royale on this night. They might have even overstayed their welcome…the sound guys at stage left frantically signaled “ONE MORE AND THAT’S IT” after about thirty or forty minutes of playing. I’m pretty much all set with seeing Vile headline for a while (a year, at least), but I wouldn’t be opposed to catching him and crew again as an opener.
Chris– With the “technical difficulties” omitted I began to notice the “Americana” elements of Vile’s music, I had missed before. I did gather some Peter Framptonish vibes. A noisy Frampton comin’ alive, if you will. Still, not exactly my cup of tea, but I did enjoy myself this time around.
Act Three – Deerhunter – Deerhunter fans seem to be a real loyal and passionate bunch. Maybe that’s why Bradford, Lockett, Moses, and Josh keep coming back. Bradford said the band arrived late…which explains their five minute sound-check. As far as sound-checks go, this one was as informative as can be. Bradford explained the origin of the various instruments that compose the drum set while Moses tested them out. Early on in the set there existed some technical difficulties that I couldn’t even notice. The sound guys seemed pretty convinced that something was wrong AND one of them even unplugged Josh’s bass by accident while trying to remedy the situation. Hehe. His bass sounded kind of distorted the entire night which worked well 90% of the time, but at times felt a tidbit random. At any rate, Deerhunter played an excellent set albeit a short one. I’d say they played about ten songs at maximum; quantitatively it felt like an opening act kind of set, but qualitative it had no shortage in glory. Songs that stuck out to me were Microcastle gems “Never Stops” and “Nothing Ever Happened,” Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP tune “Rainwater Cassette Exchange” and, of course, “Fluorescent Grey” from their EP of the same name. It was enjoyable to see the crowd react positively to the band throughout and me and my pals had a fun time ourselves.
Chris: Of course, one of the most mesmerizing bands out there today. I really dug the quiet, mellow nature of their performance and how at any moment a violent jolt of noise could send your head spinning into ambient Heaven. With Deer, there is never a dull moment and so it always feels like the set is shorter than it seems. They played for a good hour and they played a fairly long time before as an opening act, yet at both shows, it felt rushed… well because it was! Not by the band, but time constraints for stupid events that get in the way of my concerts! But, seriously, with most bands like Deerhunter, I would get bored real soon, but these guys keep you amazed and entertained the whole time. My favorite was definitely “Fluorescent Grey.” Overall, I thought it was great, but I feel like I have yet to see that phenominal Deerhunter show that I will one day tell someone else’s grand kids about until I am informed by a copper that I am causing a disturbance and have to be removed from the Little League game. I can’t wait to see them in October, until then, I will have to wait PATIENTLY PATIENTLY…
Set list: From http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/deerhunter/2010/royale-boston-boston-ma-3d59db7.html though I could have sworn they played “Revival” and others.
Hazel St.
Never Stops
Rainwater Cassette Exchange
Wash Off
Fluorescent Grey
Nothing Ever Happened
Grade: A/A-
CD Review: God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise [2010]
Band: Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs
Release: 8/2010
Label: RCA
1. “Repo Man” – C
2. “New York City’s Killing Me” – C-
3. “God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise” – C-
4. “Beg Steal or Borrow” – C+
5. “Are We Really Through? – C-
6. “This Love Is Over” – C+
7. “Old Before Your Time” – C+
8. “For the Summer” – C-
9. “Like Rock & Roll” – C
10. “The Devil’s In The Jukebox” – C-
Comments: This guy. He’s the darling of today’s mainstream folk-pop community. A.K.A WERS Daytime. LaMontagne is bearable and — at times — good, but he hardly has any edge that differentiates him from (insert artist) that played at the (insert year) Newport Folk Festival. The problem with his music is that it’s not memorable. The title track ends before it begins! “Beg Steal” is pretty catchy, if not stereotypically structured. “All your friends in school/They used to be cool.” Yay, I can rhyme! At Ray’s best, he writes like Paul Weller. At his worst, he sounds like…oops, see my second sentence.
Grade: C- (73)
Deerhunter @ Royale … Again!
Deerhunter can’t get enough of Boston!
Just days after playing a fantastic show (of which a review will be posted within DAYZ) at the Royale, a listing on the Royale website shows Deerhunter playing October 16, 2010 (Saturday)! Well, well, well, I kid you not! By that time around I’m hoping to know Halcyon Digest in and out.
Opening, of course, is Real Estate. You see, after a while of going to shows and stuff, you notice certain bands always in the fold. What do Real Estate, Deerhunter, Kurt Vile, and K-Holes have in common? You should know.
A Wild Man (Grows Up) – NY Times Article On Vice Founder
SHANE SMITH, a founder of Vice, the streetwise, testosterone-fueled culture and fashion magazine, still chugs canned American beer. He still listens to Bad Brains. And he still favors tattered Vans skateboard shoes and black T-shirts. That much is the same.
Shane Smith, one of the founders of Vice magazine, on the Rocks Off concert boat with members of the band The Black Lips.
It is everything else that has changed.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 