Harlem, you know that really awesome band from Texas who Chris and I saw at Great Scott just short of a month ago, will be back in these parts in a couple of months. July 14, to be exact, at the House of Blues. No, no, no. I know what you are thinking. They couldn’t even draw a sold-out GS crowd, so any chance of them headlining a 1,000 capacity venue seems moot, don’t you think? Right. They will be opening for the perfectly average hard-rock/blues outfit Dead Weather. Fellow KLYAMer Matt will be presumably in attendance and he’ll be in for a treat. In a summer void of great concerts, I’d probably go to this one. BUT it’s $29 bucks and $29 for a quickie set from Harlem (fuck they only played 25 minutes at GS as headliner) is a bit much.
This is footage from November 2009. I just found it today. It is great and has three parts. The first, below, features both songs (“Tiny Sioux” and “Plenty of Room”) off of their new single. Be sure to watch!
Set-List: 1. Alice & Friends
2. Death of Me
3. Unknown
4. Tiny Sioux
5. Plenty of Room at the Bottom
————–
6. Necro
7. One Foot in Front of the Other
8. Dave
9. Talk Amongst Yourself
10. Hole in My Head
11. Jackie Wood
————-
12. Stay
13. Dave
14. 2012
15. Unknown
Band: BLK JKS Release: 6/2010 Label: Secretly Canadian
1. “Iietys” – C 2. “Bogobe” – C+
3. “Zol!” – A-
4. “Paradise” – B–
5. “Mzabalazo” – B+
Comments: Direction. It’s something BLK JKS had in their excellent debut track “Lakeside,” but is something that this release is lacking. I liked how “Lakeside” was short and immediately catchy. Going the route of six minute aimless tracks isn’t a viable route for most bands. “Iietys” is a tough listening journey with spurts of neatness, thanks in large part to a solid beat. Besides that, though? Too long. Even the experimentally inclined “Bogobe” is backed by a bare-bones bass-line that makes it borderline enjoyable. The Carribean flavored title track is absolutely outstanding in comparison to the first two. Think early 2000s Animal Collective intertwined with African tribal shouts. “Paradise” is a bit too maniacal for my tastes and wears its harder rock influences on its sleeves. Comparatively, though, it’s got a fine flow…something much needed when length is taking into account. Despite the craziness of the final tune, I find it pretty good. There’s a lot of layers in it, but like its two predecessors is relatively easy on critical ears.
1. “Rip It Up” – A- 2. “Annulation” – B 3. “Impression” – B+ 4. “Let Us Out” – B+ 5. “Bummer Summer” – B
Comments: For a relatively young band, these guys have gotten pretty good press in the independent media. Not quite hardcore, not quite shoegaze, but almost surely some kind of punk, the band’s sound is a little tough to pinpoint exactly. That’s not really necessary, though. “Impression” seems like it could have quite as easily fell out of Fugazi’s catalog. That I will say. Great ending to that song. I’m glad the band has/is making the rounds around the Boston area as an opener for the likes of Pretty & Nice and pretty soon Wavves. It wouldn’t be too surprising to me if they started gaining prominence a la Male Bonding.
Ahh, doesn’t it just remind of you 4-5 AM,when you can’t go to sleep and there’s nothing on TV, but infomericals trying to sell you shit you don’t need and you have bopped your bishop far more than necessary to the point that your shooting blanks into your invisible mistress of the night. No, just Me?
“I really enjoy the first song [Icicles]. It’s a welcome six minutes for anyone who has ever tripped out or read a book or been hungry. But if you’re having problems with the first song, then I don’t want you listening to the rest of the album anyway.”
How convenient! Three of my favorite bands will be playing together at the same location on a little tour. The Boston gig will be at the Bank of America Pavilion. Naturally, I’m going to see what I can do to make this. It’s still ways away: September 12. Side note: Dum Dum Girls are hot shit as an opening band, aren’t they? First, King Khan and BBQ then Girls and now this.
