Lollapalooza Saturday

Friday night ended with my being exhausted, but not in that wonderfully elated way you often get after a full day of rock and/or roll. Instead, it was packed crowds and a neck sick of straining to see over the tops of all the beanpoles around that led to a certain crankiness. Saturday night, I would end up totally wiped out all over again, but this time it was a gleeful exhaustion.

I began the day a bit late because frankly the morning left a lot to be desired. I could have raced down to catch Does It Offend You, Yeah? who I heard put on a solid set, but I instead waited until 2:00 to catch Foals on the Citi stage. Their Battles-esque math rock occasionally bended toward some New Wave rhythms, but then immediately bounced back to some high-energy math-rock with real power. They played tight, with their guitarists oscillating wildly all the while. The crowd ate it up, and I can't wait to see them again. Basically, they were what Bloc Party would have been doing if they had the chops.
It's hard to discuss The Gutter Twins without mentioning Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli's previous efforts with The Screaming Trees and The Afghan Whigs, respectively. But that's mainly because they were popular acts and not because their previous musical lives relate to what they're doing now. The quality of their set varied from song to song. Some fit the afternoon expanse while others were clearly designed for an evening set at a medium-sized club. The music does sound a bit nostalgically dated, but it's from an era I happen to adore, so it wasn't a problem for me. The highlight for me was a cover of Jose Gonzales' "Down The Line," which they did in wholly their own style. It had me questioning who actually wrote it. Anyone have more info on this?

I took in half a set from MGMT from afar, but after most acts being overly bass-heavy, from across the field, they sounded bright in a tinny sort of way. There was a gigantic crowd amassed to hear them, but unfortunately they didn't do much for me. A location move on my part only served to lessen the experience as they were getting blown away by Booka Shade on the Citi stage. From where I sat, they sounded like Pink Floyd on a bad day, but any review from that far away is probably unfair.

After seeing Explosions in the sky in smaller venues twice in the last year and a half, I was worried if the festival crowd would react correctly. Would they be appropriately rapt with attention in the way that is required to fully appreciate this band? Aside from a draked dickhead behind me, the audience impressively gave the music the proper reverence. Not only that, the band impressed by taking advantage of the more powerful soundsystem and put on a dazzling performance. Early on, "Have You Passed Through This Night?" was particularly raucous, but the set hit its apex near the end of "Memorial." I don't think it's possible for anyone to have watched this without coming away at least a little moved. Of course, their closer, "The Only Moment We Were Alone" was also impressive and and the perfect cap to one of the best shows of the weekend. This was probably the best I've seen them play.
Okkervil River's set began a little bass-heavy, but that sorted itself out as they went along. While they were playing well, there wasn't much traction with the audience initially. However, once they got to the Sloop John B portion of "John Allyn Smith Sails," they had fans young and old eating out of their hands. From there, they went straight into "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe" followed by "For Real." At their best, they were compellingly catchy, giving people the chance to sing along and bop back and forth on the cement awning in front of the Petrillo Music Shell.
After amazing everyone who saw them perform a 45 minute set in 2006, Broken Social Scene had perhaps given themselves too high of a bar. From the outset, it was clear they were not going to match their previous Lolla efforts, unfair as it may have been to expect such a thing. Still, they didn't exactly come out blazin'. Doing mostly new songs with a couple old favorites interspersed, the first half of their set had a "going through the motions" feel to it. They sounded extremely clean, particularly Kevin Drew's vocals. But in general, there wasn't much fire in this set. That is, until they closed with "It's All Gonna Break." Probably their best song, it had the energy that the rest of the set was lacking. Perhpas it was because they were missing certain members, but the bulk of the set felt very flat despite the pristine sound and rampant musicianship.

I know this picture's blurry, but all the clear ones were just people standing around. Deal.

I don't have much to say about the Toadies. They were loud enough. The vocals were a bit crappy. They didn't sound really very worthwhile at all. Everyone who caught any of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings had glowing things to say. I would've liked to check them out, but instead we set up to have a decent spot for the last band of the night.

A few minutes later than scheduled, Rage Against the Machine entered the stage to sirens blaring and another packed field in front of them. Kicking off with that killer opening riff from "Testify" got a frenzy going everywhere. I couldn't help but be a part of it. I was jumping up and down on my new knee and screaming every lyric. For some reason, the volume had been lowered. I immediately removed my earplugs, and throughout the set, the audience broke into chants of "Turn it up!" to no avail. I had to wonder if the Lolla folks were either afraid of causing a riot or having Wilco being blown off the Bud Light stage a mile to the north. Unfortunately, the band had to stop three times because the scene up front had become dangerous. On the second two breaks, they urged the crowd to take ten steps back, and, surprisingly, people accommodated the request. It was clear they couldn't continue playing until some measure of safety was restored. Just in front of us, a pit broke open. I had every urge to join in, but between thoughts of my orthopedist's scorn and the sight of two black eyes and a split lip reminding me that this is amateur night I remained in my spot, jumping and screaming (and surely irritating those around me). I was surprised to discover that I knew every lyric to every song. They played no new tunes. This was a nostalgia show, which I normally scorn as a concept, but it was especially fun for me. Rage hit the scene right as I entered college. They ended with "Killing In the Name," kind of the anthem from my freshman year for those who were not into Dave Matthews. With intensity from Zach de la Rocha and crazy riffing from Tom Morello buoyed by the pounding on drums and bass of Brad Wilk and Tim Bob, it was a sonic onslaught and the best performance of the entire festival. Joyful anger ruled the day. In my excitement, I didn't take any photos, nor did I bother with a setlist. Instead, TheWindyCitizen put this up on youtube. Enjoy:

See, not loud enough. But awesome anyway.

Muzzle of Bees review
Brooklyn Vegan photo review, also here and here
Derogatis review, also here and here
Live Music Blog review
HearYa Indie Music Blog review
Stereogum Photo review
Greg Kot review

Explosions in the Sky @ The Congress Theater

In my review of Explosions in the Sky from a year ago, I said "the most impressive thing was that the crowd was completely rapt with attention." But that was at Metro, not the cavernous barn that is the Congress Theater. And in the year that has passed, the band has clearly become significantly more popular. I was curious to see if the stunning silences would remain intact.

I don’t believe the show sold out, but the fact that it was nearly full clearly means that something pretty neat is happening with music right now. This ain’t exactly the Dave Matthews Band. Last time, I wrote that their performance was what a “musical orgasm” sounds like (which, incidentally, brought some pretty interesting google searches to this site). I came away with a different feeling this time. Rather than the organic feel that dominated that show, the band seemed muscularly overpowering this time. When they perform live, everything ratchets up about three notches. These four guys in t-shirts are just up there playing, but pumping out incredible intensity. Downbeats come like the stomping of an elephant and crescendos push you back a step. Even in the Congress, they sounded fantastic, though my position right by the soundboard probably helped.I wondered at several points if they were playing something new. There were no new songs, but perhaps they’ve mixed things up just a bit. Certainly in the context of the live show, the songs feel as though they’re totally unique to that evening. The fuzz is fatter, the drumbeats punchier, and the four independent parts on stage meld to create a robust sound. The beginning of “Greet Death” felt like downright metal. “Catastrophe and the Cure” seemed faster, with more urgency to it. It was probably right at its normal tempo, but felt like it was racing downhill the whole time. Their closer, “The Only Moment We Were Alone,” finished dynamically and was the perfect capper to a stunning performance.

Unfortunately, I can not report that the crowd was rapt with attention like last time. Throughout the show, there was a lot of chatter, particularly the farther back you went. “Woooh!”s were shouted liberally, often inserted into songs at their most delicate of points. One guy shouted “Play Free Bird!” You got the sense that a lot of people wanted to make themselves heard, rather than support the band or get into their performance. To be sure, this was the minority, but it doesn’t take much to break the mood set by these song’s nadirs. The guy next to me felt the same way. At one point, people began clapping along and he uttered, "No!" While the clapping was fine, there were enough people that didn't "get it," at least not enough to give the music its proper respect.

Speaking of respect, after they finished their set, everyone cheered, wanting an encore. Guitarist Munaf Rayani came out, thanked everyone, and said that there would be no encore. Some people started booing. It was pretty appalling. He had to come out again five minutes later to reiterate that there would be no encore and that they’d put everything they could into the set. More people booed with someone loudly hollering “Bullshit!” This was not the scene at Metro a year ago. Had they turned the houselights on, perhaps this could have been avoided. Again, it was really just a few bad apples, but they were loud bad apples. We all felt bad for the band. They’d played an amazing show only to be booed by the loudest, jerkiest contingent.All of the nonsense hardly ruined the show. They put on an amazing, intense performance, and I highly recommend checking them out if you have the opportunity. Even if you don’t know their songs, it won’t matter. Just don’t boo them when they say they can’t play anymore.

Full Immersion: First Blush Roundup, Vol I

Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City

I pretty much thought... that there were a lot of elements put into this one, but I wanted to rawk more. In general, I came away hopeful that the album would grow on me like Silent Alarm did.

First Blush is cool because... Landon Donovan scored a sick goal! I don't even remember that I was watching soccer, but I'm glad I was able to remind myself now. Soccer is often better when you provide your own soundtrack.

I'm obviously a genius because I said... "It seemed like the energy of Silent Alarm is kind of missing from this one, and that's a shame."

I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... regarding 'The Prayer,' "This song has potential. It's going to take a few more listens."
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... Well, it seemed promising at the time. I was really excited for their second release, hoping that they would make the album more intense and more intricate. After having the album for over three months now, it's clear that it's not very good. Uniform is a pretty good track, but beyond that, the songs don't stick in my head, and I never have an urge to spin the album. In fact, when I hear other people playing Bloc Party, they're still almost exclusively playing Silent Alarm. And they're right to do so. All the qualities that made this band unique and interesting are at best toned down and at worst avoided here - to the point where I wonder if someone helped them write those fantastic songs on the first one. Their next album will surely be make-or-break. But they can take their time in getting to it. I'm no longer eager to hear what they do next. All I can say is that they had better turn it up a notch or three.

Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

I pretty much thought... that this album was a leap forward for the band, and some of their most brilliant work. I was awfully excited.

First Blush is cool because... I found myself not simply describing the album artwork to you, but actually managed to create a story based on it. Rolling Stone ain't giving you no story!

I'm obviously a genius because I said... "I can't wait to listen to this thing again."
I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... "Davey Jones would be happy."
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... This was an awfully challenging First Blush. We're talking about an album with no vocals and no liner notes. However, I think I nailed the assessment pretty well. It is not their best album, but it's close. They picked the correct songs to play live (tracks 1 and 5) which are two amazing ones. I was really playing the hell out of this CD for the first couple months I owned it. That hasn't continued, but it is still getting occasional spins, along with their other releases. The band was absolutely brilliant live, but unfortunately had to cut their tour short due to a family illness. I have only recently started listening to the additional remix CD. Some of the songs have a lot of promise. I like it far better than the Silent Alarm remix so far.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

I pretty much thought... that I didn't know what to think. I was generally positive on a lot of specific points, but I think I was afraid to like it too much off the bat. Perhaps the negative reviews scared me a bit.

First Blush is cool because... "It breaks down to half-time with the song swaying back and forth, almost in a 1960's Fats Domino kind of way. The song is taking me with it. I just don't know where we're going."

I'm obviously a genius because I said... of 'My Body is a Cage,' "I'm calling this track a masterpiece right now. I will clearly listen to it over and over again."
I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... "Feeling very snappy!"
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... that it's a damn fine release by one of my favorite bands. I alluded to the fact that there were several reviewers out there who panned the album. They're crazy. I can see someone saying that it's not amazing, and certainly someone saying that it's not on par with Funeral, but it's totally unfair to place any band's bar that high, even if they're the ones that once met it. There are four songs that are absolutely superb, and another five that are very good. The only way someone could take such umbrage with this release is if they focused solely on the lyrics (and even then, I find them to be solid enough). I was right on with No Cars Go. It is definitely not as good as the EP version, and I still can't see why they bothered to include it here. People went nuts for it live, so I perhaps they all disagree with me. More likely, they haven't heard the EP. Now, these songs were not as good as the old ones in concert, even if the live show still enhanced the new tracks. But I believe once the band has time to work on their performance version of them, they will come closer to equaling those from Funeral. If you don't have this yet, what's wrong with you? Arcade Fire is the band of the decade, and you should have all of their releases. This is an album worth owning. Of course, if you don't have Funeral, then you're even further behind.

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
I pretty much thought... that it was a bit experimental for Mr. Bird, but very much in his style and a "superb" release.

First Blush is cool because... we give you all the definitions of Apocrypha. Incidentally, I've received a ton of Google hits from people who are looking for the definition of Imitosis. Andrew made it up, people!

I'm obviously a genius because I said... a mere four seconds into the song, "I love it. The track is called Imitosis and he pulled the lead riff from his track 'I' on Weather Systems." That's a damn fine get. I'm going to have to Barry Horowitz myself on this one.
I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... of 'Armchairs,' "The album kind of came to a halt with this one. We'll see how he pulls out of it." Armchairs is now one of my two favorites on the disc. Just took a while (and a live performance) to fully appreciate it.
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... I was right. It is superb. I was loving the album, playing it almost nightly up until his show. After seeing him perform the songs live, it's even better. As stated above Armchairs is a stunning song that needed a few listens to fully appreciate. Secret Production of Eggs may still be better simply because there are about four songs on it that beat out all the tracks here. But the album is easily Bird's most complete, and it balances his virtuosity better than his previous works. Once labeled a gimmick performer by some, no one can listen to this album and make that judgment. This is a release that simply does not get old, no matter how many times I listen to it.

Explosions in the Sky w/ The pAper chAse and Eluvium @ Metro

I was more geeked for this show than any in recent memory. I’ve come to this band somewhat recently, but been thoroughly impressed with everything they’ve released. My pals and I decided that this would be one of the rare Metro shows where it would be best to be in the balcony. We arrived early and managed second row, just to the right of the middle.

The first act was Eluvium, who is really just Matthew Cooper, or as I like to call him, the Prince of the ebow. A one man band of sorts, he looped various sounds through an i-mac, making some impressive compositions. To say that he had no stage presence is putting it mildly – at one point he leaned forward in his chair and did something behind the card table he had set up so that no one could see him. But the music was quite good. I would imagine that the albums are probably a better way to experience Eluvium, but I still enjoyed it.

I had checked out The pAper chAse via their website earlier in the day and didn’t really know what to expect. I suppose I would best describe them as halfway between Mission of Burma on vodka and Primus on crystal meth. Yes, I realize that that could mean a lot of different things, depending on how you choose to interpret it. Frontman John Congleton had a ton of energy, contorting his body in violent jerks, but never missing a beat. Initially, they sounded abrasive and somewhat scary, but as their set continued, they definitely won me over. Their drummer was pounding so hard, he broke his snare drum and had to finish one song without it. In general, the packed crowd did not seem very interested. I’d really like to check these guys out at their own show in a smaller venue.

An extremely eager and devoted audience greeted Explosions in the Sky, who took the stage a few minutes early (love that). After a brief introduction by guitarist Munaf Rayani, they opened w/ First Breath after Coma and went from there. Playing just over an hour, their set alternated between big, dynamic crescendos and close, soft intimacy. The intensity during the big parts was impressive. I’m tempted to claim that the difference-maker is drummer Christopher Hrasky. While he clearly drives that intensity, it would be unfair to ignore the volume generated by the other members. At the biggest peaks, everyone in the band was playing as fast and loud as they could, resulting in an overwhelming sound, provoking emotion without the need for lyrics.

The quiet parts were inherently the same as on their albums. The impressive thing was not only that they could keep that same atmosphere of closeness, but the crowd was completely rapt with attention – to the point that in the closer Rayani was tapping his foot, and it was the only audible sound in the entire building.

I mentioned that one of these guys is going to get tendonitis. Well I now know who it is. Bassist/Baritone Guitarist Michael James strummed furiously, particularly when playing bass. There’s no way he makes it past 30 without some problems. During "The Moon is Down", Rayani taped an ebow down on his guitar and smacked a tambourine against the stage, becoming more and more violent as the song progressed. As it ended he fell back in exhaustion. The last three songs played were “Greet Death”, followed by “Catastrophe and the Cure”, with “The Only Moment We Were Alone” as the closer. The last peak was the largest of the night, with both band and audience apparently having given everything they could.

When I was in high school, I once had a band teacher who referred to a moment of that particular day’s rehearsal as a “musical orgasm.” While that moment was creepy for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which were his bad mustache and pockmarked face, it has somehow stuck with me. I suppose if a band heard that and tried to create what a musical orgasm would sound like, that band would play exactly like Explosions in the Sky did last night. I can’t wait to experience them again.

First Blush: Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

As mentioned earlier, Circuit City screwed me by not having this one in stock. So consequently, we’re nearly two weeks late on First Blush. This is the Explosions’ third or fourth album, depending on how you look at things. Their previous efforts have been superb instrumental, avant-garde rawk. I expect more of the same, but now that they have more attention, we’ll see if they either try to perfect their previous sound or mix it up. Either way, we know that I will not be able to quote any lyrics because there won’t be any. So this may be an exercise in futility. Here we go!

Track 1 – The Birth and Death of the Day
0:01 A low howl goes into super-distorted strumming with echo.
0:28 Now that’s an explosion – boom! They are building this intro and I’m ready to be thrilled.
1:47 It all fades out to some finger-picking with a kick drum and now some slow-building guitar progression. Oh, and a little tambourine for good measure. Davey Jones would be happy. Things keep building…
3:42 Now we’re down to just two guitars before launching into thumps from the guitar and drums.
4:36 Really rolling now. I’m totally digging this song. It’s somehow more musical than what they’ve done before. I realize that doesn’t make sense. Maybe this is how Explosions in the Sky does a pop song.
5:59 Everything is feeling triumphant!
7:39 All is quiet now, and I have to say that I’m quite pleased with how the album has begun.

Track 2 – Welcome, Ghosts
0:14 There was no break between songs, we just turned right into it.
0:25 Christopher Hrasky (drums) is carrying the track in the early going.
1:33 The drums here are literally thudding on the off beat – like they stuffed them with plush children’s toys or something.
2:45 All is quiet – this is the smallest part of the album thus far.
3:07 I don’t know how they get their guitars to sound the way they do, but right now it sounds exactly like a piano. Often times, they sound like bells or wind chimes. It’s amazing.
4:58 Thick finish to this one, pounding drums, cymbals and tons of distortion on the guitar. It will be fantastic live methinks.

Track 3 – It’s Natural to be Afraid
0:10 It begins somewhat reminiscent of Money For Nothin’.
0:34 That doesn’t last long, though as things start to get very dark. I just realized this track is over thirteen minutes long.
2:04 Nothing new to report. Still loading more sound as we go, but it’s a slow build.
2:31 There are scant few liner notes in this album, but the artwork is superb. You see the cover above. Clearly there has been a tremendous flood and we only see one person standing at the bow of a small boat, looking across the water’s surface while holding a lamp. They’re looking for someone, most likely anyone. The only companion they have is a bird, caged at the stern. Off in the distance, we can see what might be the light of someone else. Or perhaps might be the sun setting, or maybe just a streetlamp that somehow still has electricity. However, when we open the booklet inside, we see the same picture, but it is surrounded by other images – most likely memories from this fellow, wistfully going over the major and minor points of his life before everything changed. He plays basketball, watches TV with his brother, celebrates a birthday alone, and shares romance at the deep end of a swimming pool. However, if we flip that picture over, we see a scene that must be ten minutes after the previous one. The other light has proven to be a boat with three people aboard. However, our protagonist is now looking directly down into the water, apparently not even noticing the other boat despite their raised hand and presumed call. Perhaps they were not the people he was hoping for, or maybe he would prefer to gaze down, preserving his memories as they are.
7:06 The song portrays more of an image of hope now, picking up the pace and volume.
7:26 Another low section here.
9:19 Now we bust out suddenly with two guitars working against one another at very high ranges – it’s not dueling banjos by any means, but the interplay is subtly brilliant.
12:03 It’s a lot of feedback and floating guitar notes as the song winds down, somehow giving a peaceful and eerie quality at the same time.

Track 4 – What do you go Home to?
0:09 Again these are guitars sounding almost exactly like a piano.
1:17 OK, I think that actually is a piano. This is new for the band if I’m not mistaken.
2:12 This track has nearly a Phillip Glass feel, but not quite so atonal. Each contribution stands on its own, as opposed to earlier when they were dancing with one another, all the elements are doing their own thing so far.
4:16 This is the mellowest track on the album – there are no unified crashes or tremendous builds.
4:47 We end with a single low piano note struck with the left hand.

Track 5 – Catastrophe and the Cure
0:20 Already cooking at this point, clearly ready to bounce things back up
0:43 Drums are driving this one right now, although the whole band is playing “busy.”
1:46 Someone in this band is going to get tendonitis for sure.
2:21 The calm before another impending storm, I can only assume.
3:04 Echoey drums lead to…
3:17 Not a storm, but a progression into a sparse but quick echoed section. Teasers!
5:47 More sound now, but it’s not violent by any means. Tons of snare drum here.

Track 6 – So long, Lonesome
0:00 Again, no break between songs here as the finger picking from the end of the last song goes right into this one.
0:56 The piano is featured.
1:21 There are no drums, but all instruments are circling around one another, with the piano leading everything, picked and strummed guitars mixing in and then guitars way up in the background almost singing notes.
2:47 The drums kick in and the song finishes slowly, but powerfully and perhaps peacefully.

I can’t wait to listen to this thing again. They have gone for more of a themed release than in the past – as opposed to a collection of songs – and it is to their credit. If you love music, and I know you do, I highly recommend checking this out. Of course, Explosions in the Sky always gets better after multiple listens, but so far, I’m quite fond of the album. If you act fast and buy it from them directly, you can get a limited edition bonus CD with each of the songs remixed by various people.