Category Archives: Music

Best of 2010, Black Lips, Box Elders, concert review, Deerhunter, Gentleman Jesse and His Men, Girls, Harlem, King Khan, Music, No Age, Nobunny, The Growlers, The Walkmen

Glen’s Best of 2010: Concerts

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It looks like another year in concerts has concluded for me. I got to see 22 shows (25 in 2009) at quite a few different venues and three happened to have taken place in New York City (reppin’ Queens). While I’m not so sure 2010 can top 2009 in terms of overall favorite shows, I think it’s safe to say I had a great time concert-going. Looking back, I’m going to rate shows based on three factors: opening bands, headlining band, and experience. A great experience for me is a combination of a great venue, a great crowd, and second-by-second fun. I tend to be pretty analytical about this kind of stuff, so for math people the weighting is as follows: 20% opening bands, 20% experience, and 60% headlining band. Also, I’m usually stricter when it comes to these end of the year tallies.

A
1. Black Lips – Temptress, NYC [95]
2. No Age – Middle East Downstairs [95]

A-
3. Black Lips – Middle East Downstairs [93]
4. King Khan & The Shrines – Royale [92]
5. Wavves – Great Scott [90]
6. Nobunny – PA’s Lounge [90] 

B+
7. The Walkmen – Royale [89]
8. Editors – House of Blues [89]
9. Spoon – House of Blues [87]

B
10. Paul Weller – Apollo Theater, NYC [86]
11. Girls – Paradise Rock Club [86]
12. Beach House – Paradise Rock Club [86]
13. Harlem – Great Scott [85]
14. Deerhunter (AUG) – Royale [85]
15. Those Darlins – TT The Bears [84]
16. The Growlers – TT The Bears [84]

B-
17. Deerhunter (OCT) – Royale – [83]
18. Uninhabitable Mansions – Middle East Upstairs [82]
19. Mission of Burma – Paradise Rock Club [81]

C+
20. Vivian Girls – Great Scott [79]
21. Black Lips – The Shank, NYC [78]
22. Kurt Vile – Harper’s Ferry [77]

Music, music video, Video

Who Did it Better? ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’

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Back with another edition of “Who Did it Better?” and this time I found three good covers of one of my favorite songs of all times The Smiths ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’. First up the original:

Second a Anberlin cover:

Next up is Noel Gallagher (the genius behind Oasis):

Lastly a Nada Surf cover:

I happen to like all three covers, but I don’t think they stand up to the original, although I must admit there is something haunting about the Anberlin cover that comes close to the original.

Black Lips, Music, News, Video

Exclusive Rolling Stone BL Studio Vid!

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Take a look inside the MetroSonic Recording Studios in Brooklyn, New York where the Black Lips recently finished recording with Mark Ronson. Inside you’ll see Cole’s infamous human skull and a boat load of analog equipment. For those confused about the Lips pairing with Ronson, Ronson says it’s not like he came in and said “hey, I’m going to clean up the Black Lips!” From the video, it looks like there’s a new song with what I like to call the “Dirty Hands” arrangement — a D-A-G chord progression and Cole’s vocals. The last song that is played sounds absolutely fantastic, an ode to the production techniques of Brit Invasion rock and roll.

Check it out: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/68404/237078

Black Lips, Box Elders, Girls, Hunx and His Punx, Jay Reatard, King Khan, Mark Sultan, Music, Vice, Video

Garage Explosion – Excellent New Documentary!

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Watching this documentary, you might feel like you are reading this website. There are shots of living and deceased (literally/not literally) KLYAM regulars like Black Lips, Jay Reatard, King Khan & BBQ Show as well as shots and interviews with other great musicians and performers like Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, Davila 666, The Dirtbombs, The Magic Kids, Hunx and His Punx and Box Elders. What is garage rock? For Jay Reatard, it was about grossing people out. For Joe Bradley, “it’s about keeping it simple, stupid. That’s what we’re [Black Lips] are trying to do. It’s about fun and entertainment.”

VICE goes around interviewing some of the most notable and downright prolific names in garagerock. Part 1 examines the scenes in Memphis and Detroit.

Part 1: http://www.vbs.tv/watch/vbs-music-specials/garage-explosion-part-1-of-3

Part 2: http://www.vbs.tv/watch/vbs-music-specials/garage-explosion-part-2-of-3

CD Review, Music

CD Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [2010]

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Rapper: Kanye West
Release: 11/2010
Label: Roc-A-Fella

1. “Dark Fantasy” – A+
2. “Gorgeous” – A
3. “Power” – A+
4. + 5. “All Of The Lights (Interlude)/All Of The Lights” – A-
6. “Monster” – A-
7. “So Appalled” – A
8. “Devil In A New Dress” – A
9. “Runaway” – A-
10. “Hell of a Life” – B+
11. “Blame Game” – B+
12. “Lost in the World” – B
13. “Who Will Survive in America” – B-

Comments: My history with listening to Kanye West is brief and to the point.  I bought The College Dropout in the summer of 2004. I really loved that album. It’s still pretty great. After that, I fell out of touch with West, not necessarily because he was gaining fame or anything (no such ‘indie’ mindset for a thirteen year old), but because…well, I don’t know. This album, along with man himself, has received a lot more hype in the past few months than I can ever recall before. Initial reviews have near universally dubbed this one of the best pop albums of all time. “Dark Fantasy” certainly gives these claims some validity. The beat. The lyrics. The chorus of “Can we get much higher?” is something that is overwhelmingly more luscious and “bigger” than most of the shit that gets played on Top 40 radio today. I think “Power” is one of the best songs of the year. I must say this was looking like something special by the end of “Power,” but ultimately fails to keep up that pace. He didn’t fail to jot down his thoughts on paper and get a bunch of great guests to spot on this record. As an all-encompassing work of art, this kind of album will be hard to surpass. To put it simply, it doesn’t (through-and-through because as I’ve mentioned there are some ace tracks) sound as great as it looks on Wikipedia. Realistically a top 30 album of the year. Top 10 or top 5? Definitely not.

Grade: A- (90)

Music, music video, Video

Robert Plant:Burning Down One Side & Slow Dancer (Live 1983)

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I talked about Robert Plant having a very strong solo career so I thought I would take a little time and go through it over a few posts (yes all the way from post Led Zeppelin 1980 to now). After the unfortunate death of John Bonham in 1980, Plant quickly went to work on a solo career, his first effort “Pictures at Eleven” was released in 1982. While musically some of it is, well typical 80’s songs, other songs (such as Slow Dancer) hold up very well over the years. Vocally he isn’t as commanding as he was in Led Zeppelin, but he isn’t trying to be either (although he does go pretty hard on a couple of tracks). The result of “Pictures at Eleven” isn’t a masterpiece by any means, but is a very strong solo effort that gives listeners a first glimpse into Robert Plant post Zeppelin, not the rock icon they knew, but a new phase of a legitimate musical artist.

Here is ‘Burning Down One Side’

Here is ‘Slow Dancer’

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Memphis [2010]

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Band: The Magic Kids
Release: 5/2010
Label: True Panther Sounds

1. “Phone” – A-
2. “Candy” – A+
3. “Superball” – A+
4. “Hideout” – B+
5. “Summer” – A-
6. “Hey Boy” – A+ [CLICK TO LISTEN!!!]
7. “Good To Be” – A-
8. “Skateland” – A-
9. “Sailin” –  A+
10. “Little Red Radio” – A-
11. “Cry With Me Baby” –  A

Comments: The Magic Kids were rightly called the next evolution of The Barbaras. The Barbaras might just never play again: at least one member is currently in Wavves (Stephen Pope and maybe, just maybe, Billy Hayes) and the other three are in this band, The Magic Kids. Hayes certainly incorporated a bit of the Barbaras surf-pop sound in “Baby Say Goodbye,” which was penned by him and released on Wavves 2010 LP King of the Beach. At any rate, comparisons to the Beach Boys have been a plenty since the release of this record. The initial critical response to this record was that it was pretty average: Memphis is a nice attempt at ’60s surf, but it just doesn’t do anything extra. To an extent, I suppose that that may be true. Let’s not forget, though, that some songs are just 100% pop gems like “Superball” and “Hey Boy” and the rest are not too shabby…maybe even great. Perhaps somebody not too familiar with this kind of music would lump it in the “oh, this all sounds the same category.” Touche, touche! If you are sucker for it, it’s quite like bubblegum — sweet and colorful. Though this is quite a summer record — nobody is going to mistake “Sailin” for “skiing” — it pretty much screams nostalgia. Nostalgia for those warm and sunny days that became no more after October 28 (in the Boston area). So anyway, Memphis is a keeper.

Grade: A- (93)