Classic CD Review: Bows + Arrows

Band: The Walkmen
Label: Record Collection
Release: 2004

1. “What’s In It For Me?” – A+
2. “The Rat” – A++
3. “No Christmas While I’m Talking” – A-
4. “Little House of Savages” – A+
5. “My Old Man” – A
6. “138th Street” – A+
7. “The North Pole” – A
8. “Hang on, Siobhan” – A+
9. “New Year’s Eve” – A+
10. “Thinking of a Dream I Had” – A++
11. “Bows + Arrows” – A++

Comments: This is a seminal album for the Walkmen. Highly regarded as their best offering of the triple ’00s (perhaps a false statment, I really really dug 2008’s You and Me), it’s got a delicate mix of fast post-punk ditties (Rat, House of Savages, Thinking of a Dream) that come off as inspirational (perhaps to a band like Editors) and all the slow and sweet ones (which you know, damnit; I don’t need to list them). The first time I listened to portions of this record was a few years back. I thought it sounded incredibly antique, yet pretty easily accessible. It might just be Ham’s singing, coupled with Paul’s classy guitar play. This classy guitar play is exemplified on “138th Street,” which is about such a serious matter as a man starting anew from what seems to have been a troubled past. In general, this isn’t really light-hearted, but you can’t really expect that from this band. Their concert attire is typically business casual to formal…that tells you something about these gents. Perhaps my favorite of the low brow tunes is “Hang On, Siobhan,” presumably about a girl who wants more and more of the songwriter, but he’s a bit sick of her routine and wants her to slow things down. “New Years Eve” — I’m sure a lot of people can relate to this quick ditty, seeing as it’s over pretty damn fast…like a 12/31 one night stand. “Thinking of a Dream I Had” is just a too good to pass up track. It’s infectious and puts me in high spirits. I listened to it constantly in the winter of 2007/2008 while doing homework at 5:00 AM. Homework at that time is depressing, but this was an aural escape. The organ parts are just out of this world, dude. “Bows + Arrows” is an amazing closer. Ham really belts this out perfectly and is so convincing.

Final Grade: A (97)

CD Review: Contra (2010)

Band: Vampire Weekend
Label: XL
Release: 2010

1. “Horchata” – B+
2. “White Sky” – A-
3. “Holiday” – B
4. “California English” – B
5. “Taxi Cab” – A-
6. “Run” – B+
7. “Cousins” – B+
8. “Giving Up The Gun” – B+
9. “Diplomat’s Son” – A+
10. “I Think Ur A Contra” – B

Comments: Love it or hate it, Vampire Weekend is what Vampire Weekend is. “Horchata” is kind of annoying at first, but it sort of loses that disparaging label quickly and becomes standard VW. “White Sky” is an upper-echelon tune, embodying the best of what their self-titled offered. Not necessarily a song of the year by any stretch, it’s definitely awesome. “Holiday” sort of fails to deliver. “California English” means Ezra singing in a really fast, internationally welcoming (read, Afro-pop) style and tone. I was listening to “Taxi Cab” and I forgot what I was listening to. It’s a really chill song with a pretty kick-ass beat and flow. Okay, also, just a quick note: slow down a bit Vampire Weekend! Sometimes when parts get really awesome there is a crazy transition to something less intense or too intense. Ah! Whatever! “Cousins” is love-hate. It’s something I would love to hate, but at the end of the day it’s just your average above  average VW offering. Big fan of “Diplomat’s Son” right here. It reminds me of a certain song on VW. Bottom line: is this better than album #1? No, not really. Sorry. It’s definitely very notable, but it just doesn’t possess top to bottom greatness. 2010 will have to be a really rough year if this is going to land on my annual top 10 LPs list.

Grade: B+ (88)

Concert Ruined By Guy Enjoying Himself

CHICAGO—Brian Grant, 24, reported that a rock concert he attended at the Empty Bottle Saturday was ruined by 35-year-old music fan Daryl Froemer’s enthusiasm.

Froemer has a good time, to the dismay of concertgoers like Grant.

“I was trying to enjoy [New York-based rock group] Oneida, but it was totally impossible because [Froemer] was making a spectacle of himself,” Grant said. “I couldn’t even pay attention to the band. Halfway through the set, I had to leave.”

“I go out to a bar to have a good time, and I can’t because there’s some jackass racing around in circles and waving his beer bottle in the air,” Grant added. “I mean, he was even jumping up and down during the mid-tempo songs. Come on! It’s not the ’90s anymore. This isn’t grunge.”

In addition to dancing, Froemer reportedly pounded the stage “like it was on fire,” sang along when he knew the lyrics, yelled out the names of songs he wanted to hear, and repeatedly attempted to enter into a dialogue with the band.

“Every time the singer asked us a question, he was the first one to yell back,” Grant said. “I don’t mind the occasional ‘Yeah’ or ‘Woo,’ but this guy was shouting after every song, whistling, and asking them how their amps were. If he hadn’t been so annoying, I would have been embarrassed for him.”

“Did he even consider the fact that the singer might have wanted to know how the rest of us were doing?” Grant added.

Froemer’s attempts to engage other bar patrons in conversation did not sit well with Grant.

“He kept turning to me to say, ‘Isn’t this great?'” Grant said. “How many times can you ask someone, ‘Isn’t this great?’ and not get an answer before you realize he doesn’t care to give you his opinion?”

He added: “Oh, yeah. And he kept yelling ‘Rock ‘n’ roll!’ in my face. And once he screamed ‘Stooges!’ I had no idea at all why he did that.”

Grant said he has seen Froemer at shows before.

“I’ve seen him around, and he’s always enthusiastic,” Grant said. “But I’ve never seen him so wound up before.”

Grant reported that he lost his patience when Froemer almost spilled a drink.

“On the way back from, like, his 20th trip to the bar, he came this close to spilling a drink all over the floor,” Grant said. “If it had spilled, some of it could have gotten on me. At that point, I told my date, ‘All right, enough. We’re leaving.'”

This isn’t the first time a concert at the Empty Bottle has been ruined by an excited fan. On Sunday, an OKGO show was wrecked by two women who spent the evening jumping up and down directly in front of the stage, blocking the view for several patrons standing behind them.

“Sometimes it’s like that,” said Empty Bottle manager Bruce Finkleman. “Everyone at a show is standing there, arms folded, having a great time, and then someone decides to get crazy. It can kill an otherwise perfect night. Unfortunately, unless the enthusiastic fan breaks something, my hands are tied.”

Froemer, whose exuberance at most concerts is endured without incident, said he was sorry to hear that people were put off by his enjoyment of the show. Nevertheless, he said he did not plan to change his behavior at future shows.

“It’s too bad someone got mad,” Froemer said. “But when the band started playing ‘Sheets Of Easter,’ I went nuts. It’s 15 minutes, two notes, and it runs over you like a monster truck. I mean, shit—that band is seriously fucking awesome!”

So great I had to post the entire thing, but here’s the link if you would like.

Classic CD Review: Cheap Time

Band: Cheap Time
Release: 2008
Label: In The Red

1. “Too Late” – A-
2. “Glitter & Gold” – A-
3. “Zig-Zag” – A
4. “People Talk” – A
5. “Push Your Luck” – B+
6. “Living in the Past” – B+
7. “Tight Fit” – A
8. “Permanent Damage” – A-
9. “The Ballad of Max Frost” – B-
10. “Falling Down” – B+
11. “Over Again” – B
12. “Ginger Snap” – B
13. “Back To School” – B+
14. “Trip to the Zoo” – A

Comments: Cheap Time supported everyone’s best friend, Jay Reatard, on a 2008 tour to promote this fine album. Now, at a few gigs I’ve noticed opening bands not really sounding at all like the main act. In the case of Cheap Time, they happen to sound quite similar to Jay. With all songs except for one under three minutes, CT gets the job done quickly and relatively complex-free. These songs are kind of hard to at first judge and say “yeah, I like this” or “nah, this sucks.” “Tight Fit” might be the band’s best attempt at shoot-em up punk and, in my very humble opinion, one of the best on here. Overall, this isn’t a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but for 2008, it was definitely one of my big listens. It’s got its moments.

Quote of the Day

The....who???

In response to a Best of 2009 album list that included mostly obscure artists (most of which I’ve never heard of, except a few like Strange Boys, Ganglians, and Thee Oh Sees, in addition to Animal Collective):

I mean really. Nice of you to throw in Animal Collective so that no one thought you were getting too crazy. But who has the capacity, let alone the time and desire to seek out this many completely unknown bands/artists and rank them accordingly on a message board. WHO THE $#@! ARE THESE PEOPLE? How do you find them? How did you find the time in your year to obtain and listen to all of these with a critical mind/eye? Do you only seek out artistic works that are completely removed from anything even resembling the main stream? I know that things that are popular are not necessarily good and vice versa, but how many people own the albums of all these artists combined? Are these really “good” albums, or are you just listing the most obscure $#@! you can find based on some internet search?

AND DID YOU KNOW THAT VIRTUALLY NONE OF THESE MOTHER $#@! BESIDES ANIMAL COLLECTIVE HAS A WIKIPEDIA PAGE? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT NEITHER YOU NOR ANY OF THE OTHER UNDERGROUND HAND JOBS THAT LISTEN TO THESE BANDS IN DARK CLUBS AND COFFEE SHOPS FOUND TIME TO WASH THE HAND STAMP OFF AND COBBLE TOGETHER A SIMPLE WIKI ENTRY? CHRIST!!

Classic CD Review: An End Has A Start

Band: Editors
Release: 2007
Label: FADER (US); Kitchenware (UK)

1. “Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors” – A++
2. “An End Has A Start” – A+
3. “The Weight Of The World” – A+
4. “Bones” – A+
5. “When Anger Shows” – A+
6. “The Racing Rats” – A++
7. “Put Your Head Towards The Air” – A++
8. “Escape The Nest” – A++
9. “Spiders” – A+
10. “Well Worn Hand” – A

Comments: I don’t get how a song like “Smokers” could be criticized to any degree. It’s a complete song, replete with harmonies, prolonged guitar solos, and pounding drums. In fact, it’s one of my favorites of all time. Editors, you know, don’t conceal their roots too well. Comparisons to post-punk fathers as well as revivalists are abound in various critical works. Big chunks of Editors’ sound = reverberated heavy high notes. If you are not fond of these repetitive ditties, you might be easily irritated by this album. Also, Tom’s deep voice is not kind to everyone’s ear. Ian Curtis or Paul Banks or whatever other comparisons exist are essentially void because all these vocalists are their own animal. Also, I think Editors have “moments” in their music, especially present in this album, that are absolutely clutch and experience-changing. These “moments” turn good songs into great ones and great ones into classics. While the band hasn’t exploded in such a manner as the Killers did (pop songwriting can only get you so far in today’s environment), I’m sure the band’s general following has both seen periods of increase and decrease (with the latter potentially due to the band’s latest effort In This Light and On This Evening, which is heavily darker and more electro based). Chris might have been riding the coattails of a spectacular January 2008 concert (Orpheum Theatre) when he commented “there’s no doubt in my mind that this band will be huge within the next few years.” Taking a 180 degree turn sound-wise is something that simply may not make that possible, but the freedom to change and improve is, itself, a testament to what Chris said next, “They are a great example of how a band can achieve such tremendous success, yet still be attached to independent label and not have to sacrifice their integrity.” Getting back to the album itself…”The Racing Rats” is an awesome song for all the hunnies to dance to despite its depressing lyrics. Let me not forget to mention that in some instances like in “Put” there is a wildly atmospheric element existing above what we know as pop. Okay so the last song is cheesy and could sound okay in Aladdin or some shit: “I don’t want to go out alone anymore.” But it’s Tom’s baritone that makes it somewhat interesting and surprisingly guilty-pleasure esque. It ends basically prematurely, making me wonder when the eff the build-up is going to happen?! It never happens, which is sad, but I’ll deal. Whatever though, this LP is one of my favorites of all time.

Grade: A+ (98)

Nice Overplayed List, WMBR!

As the DJ noted, the list isn’t about good or bad…it was about what was played a bit much in 2009. Turns out a few personal favorites were included like:

#97 – Nobunny – “Nobunny Loves You”
#73 – Black Lips – “Short Fuse”
#40 – Big Pink – Dominoes
#31 – Box Elders – “Alice & Friends”
#13 – Sonic Youth – “Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)”
#12 – Jay Reatard – “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me”
#10 – Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Young Adult Friction”
#4 – Mission of Burma – “1, 2, 3, Partyy!”

Boston based shows/fests – DIY, punk, noise