I had the pleasure of finally being able to see Bon Iver at the Wilbur Theater in Boston last Sunday. It was a great show, albeit in a weird space. I always enjoy general admission over sitting, but sometimes bands (or managers) like the relaxed atmosphere and extra space provided by larger venues. It’s always been my opinion that people pay to hear the music, and do not pay for comfort. When I bought my ticket I was somehow under the impression there would be no general admission/standing room space. I was wrong. So, I sat in the first balcony and watched the show from 100 yards away.
The absolutely best thing that could happen to me, happened. The opener was fantastic, and worth the price of the ticket by himself. And he was - by himself. The Tallest Man On Earth was an amazing act with equally amazing songwriting. His fingerpicking was soft and mellow at times, but he was able to vary the mood thoroughly throughout the show. His dynamic range on his guitars is very impressive, especially among the current pool of pop and folk musicians that play at one of two volumes - soft (aka “I’m so deep and thoughtful”) and loud (aka “I’m angry. Listen to what I have to say”). His songwriting might be considered melodramatic at times, but the listener is not bored to tears by unrealistic protest songs or flowery poetry - this is folk music, and I am not embarrassed to say it.
Ok, Kristian Matsson is his real name. He is Swedish, and he music comes straight out of his mouth (often, we are used to musicians’ songs coming straight from their ass). At times the songs seem to be playing him - very “shoot from the hip” style. He played each song without much hesitation, or at least with time to ponder which guitar to play. The music sounds very comfortable …
In the United States we are unfortunate to have so little contact with music from other countries. To listen to a band from Britain is enough for most people, and the only contact with Australian music comes from pop groups like Silverchair, pop/country acts like Keith Urban, and pop/folk groups like The Waifs. “Goth Country” is a genre pioneered (”pioneered” is a term I used lightly when talking about country) by groups out of the western US; bands like 16 Horsepower and The Handsome Family (also on Carrot Top Records), from Colorado and New Mexico, respectively, have shaped how we listen to new country music, and returned the genre to it’s former dust and ashes glory. Yes, murder ballads and jilted lovers are what country music is all about, and these Aussies have shown that they’ve got the stuff.
Ron Peno, the Darling Downs’ frontman and songwriter also sounds amazingly like one of my other favorite country/folk singers - Robert Fisher from the Willard Grant Conspiracy. Dry and forceful in his upper register and resonating in his lower register, Peno’s voice sends a chill down your spine and embraces the listener in reverberating darkness. Lovely.
Darling Downs’ sophomore release From One To Another jumps to it’s feet right away; perhaps a little more upbeat than expected from my previous descriptions. The first track is lead by a steadily picked guitar, accompanied by strictly country countrified vocal riffs, giving the listener an different expectation as to what is coming for the rest of the album. The lyrics themselves follow the theme of the album, but for a first-listen, everything comes across a little more positive than it actually is. Following the opening track A Moment of Despair, comes Gather ‘Round (Stomp It Down) - a stripped down and bright banjo driven melody with eager, almost hollered lyrics.
After the first two songs, the album really gets going (and by that, I mean “slows down”). Everytime We Say Goodbye has a slightly lazy feel, with …
…except for omitting spaces. It’s confusing to me.
The dirty rockabilly-esque sound and tight drums representative of Jon Langford and the wailing (in a good way) vocals and experimental sounds of Kat Ex string together quite nicely in this new collaboration from KatJonBand. The minimalist guitar riffs are a kickback to early punk and 3-piece rockabilly. Add in a driving sixteen beat, and you have a strange post-country-folk-punk thing going on. The sound varies from straight, driving, call-and-answer (Do You?) to a more British folk-shanty feel (Albion). The British folk-punk sound is strong in this album, and is something I don’t really have enough of. The stripped-down punk seems to be in vogue these days with guitar/drums duos popping up all over the place. On the other hand, the duo format is not something that is generally done well - I’m happy to report that KatJonBand pulls through with room to spare.
Given both Jon and Kat’s histories in European punk, their pairing is a logical combination, and seems to be more reined in than either of their recent albums. Jon Langford has also had a long history with the Ex (pre-Katherine Ex) - starting with a co-producing role with The Ex’s third album Tumult. Both individuals stand out on their own, but it is the minimal sound that brings the separate rhythms and riffs together to form an intentionally gritty and powerful sound.
17-09 New York NY(USA), Knitting Factory
18-09 Brooklyn NY (USA), Union Hall
20-09 Chicago IL (USA), Hideout Block Party
23-09 Madison WI (USA), Frequency 24-09 Minneapolis MN (USA), 7th Street Entry
26-09 Chicago IL (USA), Hideout Carrot Top Party
I’ve been gone for a long time, and my sitemeter stats are really showing it. Not that I had hundreds of visitors before, but now it’s really tapered off to nothing. I will update soon, and I’ve got huge roadtrip playlists to upload. Not only did I have to drive the 24-26 hours from Massachusetts to Minnesota, but I also took a little honeymoon up to the North Shore of Lake Superior, so that tacked on another 8+ hours of roadtrip driving. Needless to say, I did not create a roadtrip CD that would cover all 50-60 hours of driving. I certainly have enough music, but I have to leave enough room for public radio and Rush Limbaugh (so. angry. impossible to fall asleep.) to round out the roadtrip experience.
What happened? I’m married, and have been for almost two weeks. Send me presents.
Massachusetts -> Minnesota
Emmylou Harris - Luxury Liner (this one always starts off my road trips)
The Band - Look Out Cleveland
The Mountain Goats - Going to Cleveland
Bob Dylan - Highway 51 Blues
Wilco - Via Chicago
Waylon Jennings - Amanda
Robert Johnson - Sweet Home Chicago
John Prine (with Melba Montgomery) - Milwaukee Here I Come
Tom Waits - 9th & Hennepin
Lucinda Williams - Minneapolis
Tom Waits - Ol’ 55
Honeymoon - North Shore, MN
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Bruce Springsteen - The Honeymooners
Son Volt - Afterglow 61
Billie Holiday - What A Night, What A Moon, What A Girl
Mason Jennings - Duluth
*Elvis Costello - The Long Honeymoon
Robert Earl Keen, Jr. - Gringo Honeymoon
I’ll have a return playlist and a few extras soon, …
Yeah, I’ve been really busy the last few weeks, but now I’m back. At least until I have to go get married in a month. At any rate, I’m back for now, and I’m going to do my best to overload you with posts until I have to leave again. This one has been on my plate for a while, and I can’t say enough about it. I really like this album.
The last time I checked, the Old Believers were a sect of the Russian Orthodox Church that cross themselves with three fingers instead of two, and have very long beards. To prove me wrong a group calling themselves the Old Believers sent me an album to listen to. I don’t know what their “old belief” is, but it seems to be a form of very minimalistic folky-country with just a taste of wispy vespers-like vocal arrangements. Sign me up - the shit fits.
The Old Believers are playing solid folk, heavy on the downbeats, and with a heavy-handed style - along the same lines as Mason Jennings, adding a swaying sea-shanty sound similar to the Great Lake Swimmers. Maybe it just has to do with living near the north, but this temperament is not generally seen in popular music, and the driving sounds of country and folk don’t blend in a way conducive to a full album’s worth of listening. I listened to the album from start to finish, and now I can’t put it down.
The Old Believers have officially released their album, and are currently on a short West-Coast tour. Hopefully they’ll do an East-Coast tour soon! *Hint.
Mon Jul 14, 2008:
Cozmic Pizza - 199 W 8th Ave Eugene, OR
Tue Jul 15, 2008:
Gypsy Town Music - Nevada City, CA
One of my favorite bands, the Willard Grant Conspiracy, released a new album at the beginning of May. Although it is meant to be a continuation of “Regard The End” (2003) it seems to be musically aligned with “Let It Roll” (2006). Topically, however, it is definitely the successor to “Regard The End” with an abundance of religious/spiritual themed lyrics. In addition to these aspects, it is also the first time the Robert Fisher has attempted to write and arrange an album containing many musicians - dubbed the “Willard Grant Conspiracy Orchestra” in their tour schedule. All personal critiques aside, it is a huge change in style, and one that should be commended.
Robert Fisher’s wavering bass conveys a feeling of emptiness and solitude, and while it doesn’t always mesh with the orchestral arrangements, it is the perfect instrument for his lyrics. “Lost Hours” pushes into a lush stringed arrangement toward the end - similar to the choral buildup in the following “The Great Deceiver.” Maybe I’m used to looser production, but it was at this point that I became very skeptical of the additions being made to the standard instrumentalization of WGC. The choral arrangement is tight and a little overpowering, effectively draining the emotion from Fisher’s own voice.
The segue into “Jerusalem Bells” is smooth, and the feeling once again slips briefly into the simplicity I am accustomed to. “The Pugilist” provides dispersed and soulful choral and string accompaniment, giving the album its first possible single. One is immediately reminded of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” but there doesn’t seem to be any relation to the two. The album continues along this theme until “Miracle On 8th Street” and my self-appointed favorite from the album “Painter Blue.” The album finishes with the slow, spacious “Vespers” and an short untitled (Great Deceiver reprise) track.
Reactions:
I really like the album, but it took a few times through the album to really start warming …
If you were at the Middle East Upstairs last night, you caught a great show. If you weren’t there, you’ll have to settle for a YouTube clip. Check out their Tour Blog for plenty of pictures, thoughts, and movie clips.
Pela - Waiting on the Stairs. Middle East Upstairs. 6/8/08.
Great to meet everyone from GLG - thanks to Matt, Heather, and Janelle to putting together a great show! I’m already looking forward to reviewing Pela’s next album, which should (this is all hearsay) come out around Christmas.
I’ve been waiting on this show for a long time, because it puts a lot of bands in one place and makes them a little easier to keep track of, at least for one night. Hopefully this won’t run too long, but I would like to give my full attention to the last three bands, which I haven’t written about before. Following: upsides, downsides, past concert reviews!
Static of the Gods
I originally wrote about Static of the Gods in reference to their first full-length CD Cycles Follow Signs, which I was initially unimpressed with. Talent and songwriting aside, the album just didn’t do it for me. Several months later I was able to see them in concert, and was given their newly-released EP to check out. Vast improvements in sound and production propelled Static of the Gods from a formerly written-off state into a new band-to-watch category. Tarnished Cities is a good example of where the band is headed - hard, driving beat, almost syth-like bass (it’s actually a guitar on an octave pedal), and firm vocals. I’ve grown to like the band’s sound and uniqueness among emo-metal, and the Peluche EP provided the hooks that were lacking on Cycles Follow Signs. I hope they keep on this road for a while.
Static of the Gods - Tarnished CitiesPeluche EP
The Motion Sick
I originally heard about The Motion Sick from a friend that worked at the AI: International in Boston. She heard the CD right after it was recorded, and immediately alerted me. They definitely stand apart from the other bands in this lineup, and adhere to a more “post new-wave” sound (”new-new-wave,” “post-second-wave?” It’s not really post-punk…) than the other bands. Their sound isn’t full and continuous - it’s broken up, with the empty space invoking the Talking Heads and other new-wave and second-wave bands.
They will be celebrating their 100th show on Saturday.
Perhaps more than 3500 years old, the tangelo is a citrus fruit resembling an orange, but is in fact a product of crossing a grapefruit with a tangerine. A tangelo is characterized by a slightly dark rind than an orange, and a sweeter taste than a grapefruit. They are, like this blog, thin-skinned and juiceaaaay.
The Man
We are posting mp3s of 128-160kbps, which are not generally acceptable for any sort of serious listening. If you think that your lack of sales is a direct result of this blog, we will gladly remove the offending tracks. If our readers prefer low-bitrate transcodes over albums, chances are you weren't making any money off them anyway. All mp3s are removed after 30 days.
The Fans
Please support your favorite musicians. You preference in music is of little concern to us; it is your involvement that counts. You can buy CDs, buy mp3s, or go to shows. They wouldn't be able to make music if it wasn't for your support. Where do you think these mp3s come from, anyway?
