Know Your Onion #7

Struggling Mets Combine To Form Carlos Voltron

I am a bad, bad blogger. One day, I'll get really into this. Until then... I hope this cracks someone up as much as it did me.

2008 NFL Predictions

I am horrible at this blogging stuff. I am trying to get my ass back in gear, and in a big way right now.

When I emailed/MySpaced/Facebooked all my friends about starting a blog, I said it was mostly going to be about music, and I'll probably sneak in a few rants about this NFL season, which begins tonight. Here is my first football rant, and it is a huge one, as it is my predictions for the 2008 season, including regular season standings and post-season outcome. I was planning on including my thoughts and some figures to back up these predictions, but I thought that would be boring to read (though really fun for me to type).

Just know that I am serious about these predictions, and of course I'm not 100% sold that this is exactly how the season is going to turn out. In fact, I am about 98% sure that this is not even close to how it will turn out. But to the best of my knowledge, after all the football reading and thinking I've done this summer, this is how I see things panning out in the NFL in 2008.

Here we go now.



AFC East
(1) New England Patriots 14-2
(2) New York Jets 8-8
(3) Buffalo Bills 5-11
(4) Miami Dolphins 2-14



AFC North
(1) Cleveland Browns 11-5
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers 10-6
(3) Cincinatti Bengals 8-8
(4) Baltimore Ravens 5-11



AFC South
(1) Indianapolis Colts 14-2
(2) Jacksonville Jaguars 12-4
(3) Tennessee Titans 8-8
(4) Houstan Texans 7-9



AFC West
(1) San Diego Chargers 13-3
(2) Denver Broncos 8-8
(3) Kansas City Chiefs 4-12
(4) Oakland Raiders 3-13



NFC East
(1) New York Giants 12-4
(2) Dallas Cowboys 11-5
(3) Philadelphia Eagles 10-6
(4) Washington Redskins 6-10



NFC North
(1) Minnesota Vikings 11-5
(2) Green Bay Packers 8-8
(3) Detroit Lions 4-12
(4) Chicago Bears 4-12



NFC South
(1) New Orleans Saints 12-4
(2) Carolina Panthers 8-8
(3) Tampa Bay Buccineers 6-10
(4) Atlanta Falcons 2-14



NFC West
(1) Seattle Seahawks 10-6
(2) St. Louis Rams 9-7
(3) Arizona Cardinals 8-8
(4) San Francisco 49ers 3-13

---------------------------------------------------------------------

AFC Playoff Teams
(1) New England Patriots
(2) Indianapolis Colts
(3) San Diego Chargers
(4) Cleveland Browns
(5) Jacksonville Jaguars
(6) Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC Playoff Teams
(1) New York Giants
(2) New Orleans Saints
(3) Minnesota Vikings
(4) Seattle Seahawks
(5) Dallas Cowboys
(6) Philadelphia Eagles

Wild Card Round
San Diego def. Pittsburgh
Jacksonville def. Cleveland
Philadelphia def. Minnesota
Dallas def. Seattle

Divisional Round
New England def. Jacksonville
Indianapolis def. San Diego
N.Y. Giants def. Philadelphia
Dallas def. New Orleans

Conference Championships
Indianapolis def. New England
N.Y. Giants def. Dallas

Super Bowl
Indianapolis def. N.Y. Giants

Know Your Onion #6

Michael Phelps Returns To His Tank At Sea World

I haven't posted in over a month. It is ridiculous, and I have no real excuse. Apathy maybe. Denial. I don't know whatever.

Anyway, I promise, myself, that I will get back into music bloggin', ideally even moreso than I was before.

Until then, I just had to share this timely Onion article, in spite of how sick and tired I am of hearing about this asshole.

The Flaming Lips Cover The Who

Thank you Stereogum for this heads up.

Tonight on VH1 is the premiere of a VH1 Rock Honors concert celebrating those 60s and 70s bad ass rock behemoths The Who. A bunch of stupid bands are getting together to cover some Who jams, including Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Incubus and Tenacious D.

Thankfully, there is some wonderful icing atop this cake though. The concert also features The Flaming Lips! Come again?

Thanks to a video that Stereogum posted of the Lips practicing their song for this tribute gathering, I'm assuming they are performing a medley combining "Pinball Wizard," "Rael" (from The Who Sell Out), and something else I didn't recognize. AWESOME.

The concert premieres tonight at 9/8c on VH1.

Now watch this practice video. So bad ass!


The Flaming Lips Rehearsing from Irreversibility on Vimeo.

Water Curses EP

Water Curses EP
Animal Collective
(Domino, 2008)
Rating: 89%

Animal Collective, what a band, right? They're like North America's Radiohead. Maybe even Generation Y's Radiohead. By the way, is no one throwing around that phrase anymore? Generation Y?

Animal Collective is like Radiohead in the sense that they are constantly creating something entirely new, fresh and original. They definitely don't sound anything alike, which is a good thing, and maybe even furthers my argument. I don't know. I guess it doesn't matter, as I'm writing this to myself.

AC aren't original because they are the only other band that sound exactly like Radiohead (that feat will never be accomplished). Both bands' talents and unique ability to sound weird, pleasant and just AWESOME, align perfectly. That's what does it. I cannot think of one other band, when all is said and done, that truly sounds anything like these guys. That is quite an accomplishment.

Anyway, this is pointless. What am I saying? I don't really know. Maybe I'm just trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about? AC, I'll stop stroking you guys and start talking about your newest EP. It's called Water Curses. Did you know that?

Water Curses is phenomenal. My love for this band has been growing exponentially with each album since Sung Tongs, and this afterthought to my third favorite album of 2007, Strawberry Jam, is no let down. Not even close. If it was a full length and all the songs had this vibe going on here, it would probably be my favorite AC record. All four tracks are weird, pleasant, just awesome and fantastically beautiful. In other words, IT IS A DOOZY.

The title of this EP is so appropriate, as the songs are eerie, much like I would imagine an actual curse to be. But also really pretty. Also, there is a definite underwater vibe throughout with bubbles and other sounds that help emulate this underwater atmosphere.

Let's talk real quick about the opener, "Water Curses." If you hadn't noticed already, it shares a name with the title of the EP. This is the one upbeat track that was included here. It brings the band back to their good ol' acoustic days, like Sung Tongs, but is much more poppy, like Strawberry Jam. It still has those nice synths and weird noises, as well as those incredible melodies members Avey Tare and Panda Bear are known for. It definitely is a great opening track, and the only instant hit on the EP.

However, my favorite song is a toss up between "Street Flash" and "Cobwebs." "Street Flash" is a conundrum. It is so pretty and mellow, but so far from subtle. The chord progression is done by this nice tremolo guitar. At some point the vocals and guitar and other sounds are joined by this loud, insane sounding cackle. Weird, right? Well then a little later on, a bunch of crazy people join Avey Tare for this screaming match. What the hell, guys? Why are you trying to ruin this beautiful song? Well, after about 10 listens I got really into this particular event of clashing beauty with chaos.

"Cobwebs" is a sweet and subtle jam. Very sparse with this crazy low-end synth groove. The beat is the most interesting part, it sounds like an 8-bit Nintendo bubble. More specifically, it reminds me of the Mega Man 2 villain Bubble Man, perhaps. It is a sweet sweet song with an interesting structure and progression, for sure.

"Seal Eyeing" (what does that even mean?) closes the record, and it is a straightforward and utterly BEAUTIFUL tune. No contradicting ideas here, it is what it is.

Water Curses is the perfect follow up to Strawberry Jam, in spite of its switching gears to a slower, quieter version of Animal Collective. I am totally into this mellowed out version though. In fact, I will state that I just really love this band.

The Anniversary - "Let It Slip"

Alright, I'm back. Who remembers the band The Anniversary? Those ex-pals of The Get Up Kids who in my eyes seemed to either be hailed as better than their Vagrant Records brethren or bashed for blatantly ripping them off. At least amongst my circle of friends. I am in neither crowd, as I love The Anniversary, but will embarrassingly admit that Something to Write Home About takes the cake for emo/post-emo/whatever records not titled Frame and Canvas.

Anywho, I was surprised to find that the band partnered up with the very label that shunned and erased them from memory back in 2003 (Vagrant, I'm not even going to get into it) to release their two-disc b-sides and rarities collection, Devil On Our Side at the end of June. The first disc captures them pre-Designing a Nervous Breakdown, when they played messy emo-pop with an 80s new wave twist. These particular tunes lean a little more to the emo side of things though.

The second disc is where the true jams are. The first few tracks represent the awkward in-between stage, before the band made the jump into 70s stoner-pop territory. Some of these songs are their absolute best. The second half of the disc is pretty much all post-Your Majesty (their second and final full length) tracks, and these are pretty hit or miss. There are some hidden gems, namely the song in focus here, "Let It Slip." If I had to take a guess these dudes and lady-dude got a little more playful, drank deeper of the drugs, and got WAY into dub music. "Let It Slip" isn't dominated by the dub, but just check out that middle section. There are two other songs where it is more prominent. They are all demos too, and they sound great.

I'm pretty stoked these songs have been officially released now, and "Let It Slip," with its great tempo and melodies, mature grasp of subtlety (sans that crazy freakout in the middle) and overall spirit of fun, was the most pleasant of surprises.

Check it:

Know Your Onion #5

5-Year-Old Wants To Be A Tractor When She Grows Up

I've been neglecting music stuff on this blog for too long. I promise, next week I'll start posting again starting next week. This is a promise to myself. I just couldn't pass this article up, it is amazingly hilarious.

Know Your Onion #4

Nation's Snowmen March Against Global Warming

Know Your Onion #3

I'm a Cloud Factory!

The Walkmen - "In the New Year"

Thank you Stereogum. Thank you for posting the debut track from the new Walkmen record, You & Me. After seeing them forcefully jam out on some new tunes back in April with Spoon, I have been anticipating any hints as to how those songs would sound recorded. This album should be awesome. Just listen to the Dylan-esque crooning. That grating reverby guitar we have come to know The Walkmen for. The calypso sounding keys. That drumming, HOLY SHIT THE DRUMMING. If it's not great, I will just die.

Anyway, I got myself an imeem account, so listen for yourselves.

Know Your Onion #2

Dept. of Sanitation Asks Public To Separate Perfectly Good Stuff From Garbage

Zoos of Berlin EP

Zoos of Berlin EP
Zoos of Berlin
(Self-released, 2007)
Rating: 84%

After a few years of playing shows without any recorded material (aside from demos), Detroit’s Zoos of Berlin have finally blessed our ears with this beauty of an EP.

“Below the Old House” opens things up with some pretty feedback swells then flows nicely into a jagged funky rhythm. When the vocals hit you can tell these dudes love them some Bowie. The rich harmonies at the end are reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel. All hopped up on Bowie, of course.

Where the keyboards take center stage instrumentally on “Below the Old House,” “Speak Well of Manderlay” boasts distorted guitars and a sort of 70s rock swagger. “On Large Amusements” brings things to a mellow close and throws a wrench in traditional pop chord progression. The drums throughout are played with a precision and jazziness not too unlike John McEntire.

It is evident these dudes really know how to play their instruments. There is no wankery here. Zoos of Berlin are easily one of the tightest, most talented bands in the Midwest and these three songs are a great representation of what an EP should be. The listener is left wanting much more. And this is just their debut. Just you wait for that full length!

David Bowie - Sense of Doubt (Rare Footage)

I found out about the following video thanks to my friend Zach who had purchased a bootleg David Bowie DVD compiling a ton of his television appearances. Of all the live performances and other miscellaneous tidbits, this footage was my favorite. It's hard to tell exactly what is going on, but it seems to be the filming of some promo material for Bowie's 1977 album (and the second installment in his Berlin trilogy) Heroes. It is equally creepy, hilarious, and utterly bizarre. Watch David get really frustrated at about 1:37. That dude is insane.

5/31/08 - Javelins/Bob Nanna/The Silent Years/Nouns

May 31st, 2008
Beat Kitchen
Chicago, IL

Sorry, no pictures to accompany this show review. I also apologize for no real deep analysis of it, as I was way more social and drunk than attentive for the later portion of it.

Anywho, this weekend finale in May brought me to Chicago for the weekend for I attended a rock concert of moderately great proportions. Moderate in the sense that there weren't really any big name bands. Great in the way that all the acts consisted of incredibly talented musicians that I adore.

Let's do this.

Chicago's new sexy electronic pop sons Nouns started things off with some smooth jams. This duo is so new and so good. Imagine The Sea and Cake but slower, or a subtler Zoos of Berlin. Nice chorusy, jazzy guitar lines, that classic Rhodes electric piano sound, and some crazy technical drumming. Admittedly, sometimes a little too technical. Nouns are not the perfect live band yet. I can't deny that their songs run together a little too closely, sounding a bit too similar. And the vocals are obviously the most important part, and are lacking a bit on stage. But they are young in both age and experience performing together, and all of this will work out in due time. And when it does... well then, shit. We're in for it.

Playing next, The Silent Years were definitely the highlight of the night. Not only are they the nicest band in Michigan, mayhaps even America, but they are one of the best coming out of Detroit right now. And they confuse the hell out of me. It's like they're ready to make that huge jump to 89X rock. Let me explain. Their songs are so catchy, so accessible, they could and should get HUGE. Like touring with Death Cab for Cutie huge. BUT, at the same time, the band doesn't sound like anyone putting out records these days. Seriously. If you can enlighten me on who you think The Silent Years sound like, then I'd like to know. And don't say Rescue. Sure, three former members of that band that I miss so much are here, but the two sound nothing alike. I have thought long and hard about this, and cannot come up with an answer. Completely original, that is why they are fantastic. The live performance is no insane spectacle, but the songs are so awesome, they speak for themselves. I could explain more, but I'll leave that for when/if I write up a review for their album.

This is the point where I realized I was drunk, and just wanted to hang out. But I couldn't miss one of my alltime musical heroes, Bob Nanna. Bob played in the influential 90s indie/emo band Braid (their third and final full length, Frame and Canvas, is easily in my top ten favorite albums of all time list)! And then Hey Mercedes. It breaks my heart to say this, but his set was a boring heap of sleep. I missed his opener, which I heard was a Hey Mercedes song. Bummer. The rest of the songs were sleepers. But, I am incredibly picky about my acoustic singer/songwriters. If you're going to play a set with nothing but an acoustic guitar, then your songs better be fucking amazing. Or at the least incredibly interesting. And, well, that's all I'm going to say about that.

My boys Javelins finished the night out, and unfortunately I missed their first three songs, which included "Heavy Meadows," my #2 jam from their upcoming album of the same name. I honestly don't have much to say as my attention span was all over the place. But what I will say is that you better pick up that new album as soon as you possibly can, for it is INCREDIBLE. Do you like The Sea and Cake? The Smiths? Talking Heads? The Cure? The Police? Me too! If the idea of all those groups fused together into a superband gives you a boner, then please listen to these jams.

Paul McCartney Performs "A Day in the Life"

After more than 40 years of neglecting one of the greatest songs ever recorded, on June 1st in Liverpool, Paul McCartney performed the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band masterpiece "A Day in the Life" on stage, in front of tons of people. Fortunately, a video with decent sound quality is up on YouTube (as well as down below). Unfortunately, McCartney and band did not play the entire song, instead segueing into John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance." Not that there's anything wrong with peace.

It's still awesome to see at least a portion of the song in a live setting. Thank you, Stereogum.

The Pop Project Release Stars of Stage and Screen

Photo by Doug Coombe

Detroit/Ann Arbor area band The Pop Project announced last week that their anticipated third full length album, Stars of Stage and Screen, after four years in the making, is finally in their hands.

Showcasing the talents of three songwriters, the album consists of 12 catchy, complex, poppy-ass jams produced by Andy Thompson. If you're into the likes of Electric Light Orchestra, Supertramp, XTC, Queen, and even Weezer, then buy this now, here. Trust me, it's worth it.

The highlights include "Secondary Players," "Never Got the Breaks," "Hearts and Flowers," "House of Books," "Not the One," and "You've Won the Lottery," which I consider the band's "A Day in the Life."

Stars of Stage and Screen is released by Suburban Sprawl Music, where it is available for purchase. It also will be on sale at the following shows.

6/14 - Detroit, MI @ The CAID w/ The Frustrations, Great Lakes Myth Society, Kiddo, Serenity Court, The Decks, The Mahonies, The Word Play, The Silent Years, Fontana
7/18 - Detroit, MI @ Alvin's w/ Great Lakes Myth Society, Friendly Foes
8/15 - Detroit, MI @ Alvin's w/ Zoos of Berlin, Child Bite

5/23/08 - The Submarines/Headlights/Champions of Breakfast

May 23rd, 2008
The Pike Room
Pontiac, MI

This post has been a long time coming.


All photos by Matthew Franklin, for Detour Magazine

Two weeks ago while I was at the Crofoot Ballroom and found out Champions of Breakfast were playing upstairs at the Pike Room. I had been reading so much about the zany electronic pop duo on the various Detroit blogs, and decided to check it out.

The evening also celebrated the release of a full length album, titled Pleasure Mountain. The artwork as well as the stage accessories (cardboard guitars, keyboard, as well as a giant cardboard computer) accompany the obnoxiously joyous performance perfectly.

To describe their set, just imagine two skinny dudes with shaggy hair, thick mustaches and tight, colorful clothes that I wouldn't be caught dead in. Now picture them dancing around like idiots, dramatically playing fake instruments (pretty much air guitaring), and sometimes singing, sometimes lip-syncing. They came with a gimmick and proved that if you pull off a shtick really well, it can be overlooked. They did it, and it was awesome.

As for the songs, they were blatantly upbeat, synthy, corny as hell. Which is the whole point, and to see the dudes do what they do live, I couldn't ask for a better soundtrack. Listening to the songs without the visuals might be a less entertaining challenge. "Unicorn Bible" is a total jam though.



Next up was Champaign, Illinois' Headlights. In spite of their label Polyvinyl's winding path into blandness, the band is an easy one to like. They play expansive indie pop like Stars, only much less dramatic. And better. The live sound consisted of boy/girl harmonies, Mates of State-ish keyboards, big, rich guitar tones, and the tight and simple drumming that the songs require. There were some really drunken douche bags in the crowd, which put only a slight damper on the set, but the band handled it well.



The Submarines closed the night out with a modern take on 60s pop/rock. To be honest, I don't pay attention to their entire set, but what I did hear sounded nice, though a little boring. Some more of those co-ed vocals, some twinkle here, a tiny bit of shoegaze there, and some painfully simple drumming by a dude who looked exactly like Josiah Wolf from Why?. A somber ending, especially when I realized I had to drive all the way back to Ann Arbor.

Know Your Onion #1

I know this has nothing to do with music, but I really love The Onion (that awesome hilariously satirical newspaper), and came across an article this week that I thought was exceptionally funny. I've decided that I will share with you my favorite Onion write-ups in a blog segment (or blegment) I will call Know Your Onion, of course after the great Shins song.

Following is the first I shall share with you.

Liberty City Police Face Allegations Of Incompetence, Brutality

You May Already be Dreaming

You May Already be Dreaming
Neva Dinova
(Saddle Creek, 2008)
Rating: 63%

Saddle Creek’s Neva Dinova open their newest outing, You May Already be Dreaming, with a depressing thought: 'It’s so hard to love your body from the ground.' This kind of sentiment doesn’t really let up. It’s almost as if the band is trying to force their way into the scarred and skeptical Saddle Creek posse, like a high school freshman trying to fit in with his or her senior class peers (though these dudes look older than Conor Oberst).

I don’t know much about alt-country music, but from my understanding, it seems like Neva Dinova do it pretty well. You May Already be Dreaming, fluctuates between slow, brooding, lackluster numbers and straightforward bar rockers. Without question, the dawdling tunes get the point across much better.

It’s a pretty solid album, though, in spite of being quite a snoozer. Nothing really sticks out, aside from the underwater sound trickery on “Squirrels,” but I don’t really hear anything offensive here, nothing really to complain about. Aside from the blatant Band of Horses rip called “Apocalypse.” I forgot about that.

Oh, and as a whole, it's pretty boring.

Field Manual

Field Manual
Chris Walla
(Barsuk, 2008)
Rating: 55%

I like I stated in my very first post, I am a huge Death Cab For Cutie fan. In spite of digging their new record quite a bit, I fear that Atlantic Records may have sucked the life from them. A good argument for this would be DCFC guitarist/producer extraordinaire Chris Walla’s debut solo outing, Field Manual.

I won’t go as far as to say it’s a terrible record. Despite what some other critics have said, it isn’t that much like a Death Cab album. It’s simpler and more straightforward. The lyrics are lacking that lovelorn style that Ben Gibbard embodies, which would be a bonus for some. Instead they take a political turn, making it the least offensive sounding album about politics ever perhaps.

Where Field Manual fails is pretty much everywhere. The songs are nowhere close to being interesting. They could be catchy, if Walla had more of a grasp on the concept of melody. It doesn’t help that his voice just sucks. Bad voice plus boring songs plus unmemorable melodies equals poor pop music output.

I don’t want to admit this, but whether you think Death Cab is boring tripe or not, you will most definitely want to take a pass on Field Manual.

Maps & Atlases - "You and Me and the Mountain"

photo by Ryan Russell

After I went through my ska, pop punk and poppy emo (ala Jimmy Eat World and The Get Up Kids) phases, I loved the shit out of really technical indie/emo type stuff. Mainly Chicago or Chicago-associated bands, like Braid, The Casket Lottery, Owls, American Football etc. By early college I found myself obsessed with clean channeled finger tapping (Minus the Bear), and what I call the waterfall guitar stylings of Cap'n Jazz/Ghosts & Vodka/Owls dude Victor Villareal.

In late 2003 I finally got into pop music, and mostly forgot about all that other stuff. Mostly.

Fast forward to April 2007, when I attended a free music festival put on by Indiana University in Bloomington. I had seen the name Maps & Atlases all over the internets, but had never heard them, and honestly assumed them to be some emo or melodic hardcore band that played in Grand Rapids a lot that I would never give half a shit about. Hoo boy was I wrong. They played as a three-piece (their second guitarist for some reason was unable to make the fest on time) for the first time, unpracticed, and I was shocked at how good they were.

Maps & Atlases play a brand of indie rock that is similar to a chunk of the bands listed above, namely Owls and older Minus the Bear (not that spacey shit). If you like the Chicago indie bands of lore, you should find much to love on their debut EP, Trees, Swallows, Houses.

Luckily for all of us, the band is getting ready to release a new EP, You and Me and the Mountain. It will be released digitally on June 16th. They recently posted the title track from said EP on their MySpace page. The song has all the finger tapping and stops and starts that math rock fans should freak out about. What sets Maps & Atlases apart from their Chicago cohorts, is a somewhat consistent groove (at least on their newer jams), and Dave Davison's unique vocals.

Where the songs on Trees, Swallows, Houses are all over the place and admittedly hard and even frustrating to follow (though still completely bad ass), "You and Me and the Mountain" consists of a pretty straightforward structure and is much subtler. Drummer Erin Elders doesn't dominate the track as much, which is a welcome display of maturity. He still is one of the best drummers I've ever seen/heard.

They have two dates in Michigan coming up this summer. June 19th at Mac's Bar in Lansing with Mewithoutyou and August 6th at The Magic Stick in Detroit with RX Bandits and Portugal, the Man. They will have CD versions of the new EP with limited edition packaging for sale on these tours.

Check their shit out.

Weezer's "Pork and Beans" Video

Today Stereogum (and I'm sure Pitchfork too) posted the official video for the debut single from Weezer's third self-titled album (sixth studio album total), due out June 3rd. Seriously, the song is not half bad, easily the band's best since their 2002 jam "Keep Fishin'" from the not terrible Maladroit. It could have easily fit on that one or the "Green Album," though in my opinion, it's a little better.

The video is hilarious. Perhaps that's because I have a love/hate relationship with idiot non-celebrities (Kevin Federline, Tay Zonday, et al). At least Weezer is back to being funny, in spite of Rivers Cuomo's never ending descent into irrelevance.

Anyway, here it is:

5/18/08 - Anathallo/Dosh/Friendly Foes

photo by Ed Knight

Anathallo/Dosh/Friendly Foes
May 18th, 2008
The Pike Room
Pontiac, MI

This past Sunday night I found myself in a packed room at the Pike Room in Pontiac with some buds mentioned two posts down. In spite of the inconvenient location, I would not miss Anathallo in town on a night when I didn't have to work until 11:00 the next morning.


photo by Phil Southern

To be honest, I haven't been able to get entirely into Friendly Foes just yet. They're a fine rock 'n' roll band who wear their influences on their sleeves (Superchunk, Spoon, The Promise Ring maybe?), and I'm totally into that. I just don't know. Listening to their tunes on MySpace though, I totally dig, so maybe I just don't get into actual rock bands live? Whatever. I'll stop digging this hole to say that they opened the night with a fury, and it was probably the best set I've seen them play.


photo by Phil Southern

Dosh's set was SICK. A couple weeks before the show I had been made aware that he is Andrew Bird's drummer and that his organic meets electronic sound is totally sweet. Even though I couldn't see worth balls, it was cool to hear and imagine how one would flesh out such complex arrangements live. Throughout each song he would move betwixt instruments such as synths, electric piano, and of course, a drum kit, looping certain parts so he could move onto the next. Also, his tenor sax slingin' friend seemed to be an improv master.


photo by Ed Knight

I haven't been going to as many shows lately, including local ones, which I've been attending pretty much exclusively for the past year or so. I think it's because I don't get too excited about live music these days. However, without fail, every time I go to see Anathallo, the anticipation is high. And they never disappoint.

I'm glad they've taken to playing longer sets. A half hour Anathallo set is like listening to half of Pink Moon. Thankfully they've finally realized this.

So anways, yeah, the band was tight. Opening and closing with new jams from their upcoming record Canopy Glow ("Italo" and "Noni's Field" respectively), their set played out like your favorite rollercoaster ride. Mystery and intrigue at the beginning and end, and somewhere in the middle too, and familiarity everywhere else. That was a terrible analogy. I don't ride rollercoasters, so I don't really know how they go.

Of course, some of Floating World was performed, predictably the crowd favorites. Fortunately they never really get old, especially "Dokkoise House." Another new jam was played amidst all of this, "John J. Audubon," which features some beautiful, jazzy ivory tickling and some dynamic (and not to mention insane) drumming from my boy Jeremiah Johnson. He told me to check out YouTube videos (like this one) of this jazz drummer Bill Stewart, which make me just want to give up.

For the first time ever, the highlight of the set for me was "A Holiday at the Sea" from their old school EP of the same name. I like their old material for sure, though it is dated, but they are obviously getting better with time, and I've been anxious to see more of these new songs live. For a while now they've been supplementing the song with a semi-cover during the extended ending, and that's always my favorite part. This particular night, for some reason, it just hit me a little harder.

All in all Sunday was a great night with a diverse selection of music. That is my favorite style of concert.

33 1/3 - #18: Exile on Main St.

33 1/3 - #18
The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St.
by Bill Janovitz

The concept behind the 33 1/3 book series is totally sweet. Choose a music critic, a professor at a school with a prestigious music program, or a hip and popular songwriter and have them write a 100 page book about a seminal pop or rock 'n' roll album. 57 have been published since its inception in October of 2003. I have read seven in the series so far, and they vary in quality (though not by much) and appeal. My favs so far have been the books on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures and Pixies' Doolittle.

Just the other day I finished up the 18th book in the series, The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St., written by Bill Janovitz. I don't know where it ranks in most critics' all time lists, but this guy argues that Exile... is the greatest rock album ever. It most definitely is not atop my list of favorites, I haven't even spent a ton of time with it. However, Janovitz almost had me convinced there for a minute.

Exile on Main St. is without question a great rock record though, and the accompanying book indulges in its history and mythology. In spite of some drama, like Mick lyrically confronting Keith Richards about his lifestyle and Keith's insane sleeping and recording habits, it seems like the recording process went considerably smoothly. A bunch of dudes, hanging out in the basement of a giant mansion in France, drinking, drugging and recording some jammin' tunes.

The most interesting description of the process is how it seems like everyone was in the same room when recording, and nobody cared. You can hear all sorts of background noise: talking, tapping, clanking, hooting, etc. Sloppy business. Sounds like fun. Something else new that I learned is that Keith Richards doesn't solo. Surprised me.

As small of a book as it is (160-some pages), it is vast in its display of knowledge and imagery of the recording of my favorite Stones record. If you like the Stones, read it. If you like reading about rock music, check out the entire series. It really is a great thing.

Javelins May Tour

photo by Jon Shaft

My good buds in the band Javelins are heading out for a quick jaunt through the midwest and a bit east starting Friday. It seems a bit early in my bloglife for me to post news or tour dates, but I told myself if I actually was going to do this, it would be all or nothing. If you haven't heard Javelins yet, check that shit out on their MySpace. Be sure to listen to "Out On the Sand," the lead-off single from their upcoming full length Heavy Meadows, which if my memory serves me correctly, should see release through Suburban Sprawl Music on July 1st. Maybe? Either way, the record is awesome. Possibly my favorite of the year thus far?

Anyway, here are the dates. If you happen to be some random person reading this and are in one of the towns they are hitting up, do yourself a favor and go.

5/23 - New York, NY @ Pianos w/ Rahim, Call Me Lightning
5/24 - Washington DC @ DC9
5/25 - Johnstown, PA @ 709 Railroad St.
5/27 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Howler's Coyote Cafe
5/28 - Bloomington, IN @ 616 N. Washington w/ Push-Pull
5/29 - Milwaukee, WI @ Stonefly Brewery w/ The Silent Years
5/31 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen w/ The Silent Years, Bob Nanna, Nouns
6/1 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The DAAC w/ The Silent Years

As you can see, three of the dates are with Detroit's The Silent Years, who are one of the more original pop acts around these days. Ryan Clancy on the drums, hoo boy.

Good luck to you boys. Be safe.