Tag Archive for 'music'

Apple iTunes
 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

Live Review: Shudder To Think at the El Rey Theatre

Published
by
Truffle Jones
on November 6, 2008
in General, Performance, Reviews and Truffle Jones
. 0 Comments

November 1, 2008

Listening to Shudder To Think is a lot like doing trigonometry – you know it all makes sense somehow, but damned if you can figure it out.  Full of obtuse angles but wrought with plenty of accessible melodic avenues, their music is one of the more love-it-or-hate-it propositions to have ever wound up on a major label.  The latest participant in a spate of 90s-era band reunions, STT brought their re-collected selves to a (surprisingly) female heavy, half-full El Rey Theatre Saturday night for a trip down a Hieronymous Bosch-like Memory Lane.


Ponies need not apply, they have the internet now: STT's Craig Wedren (photo by the author).

Ponies need not apply, they have the internet now: STT's Craig Wedren (photo by the author).

Without any specific new product to hawk, STT’s show focused on past triumphs, most specifically targeting their 1994 breakthrough, the be-deviling Pony Express Record.  Live highlights from that album included “Hit Liquor,” “Gang of $,” “9 Fingers On You,” “No Rm. 9, Kentucky” and “X French Tee Shirt” and “Earthquakes Come Home,” which singer/guitarist Craig Wedren, a recent L.A. transplant, seemed especially proud to introduce, having experienced his first rumbler just a few months ago.  Despite the Pony-heavy set, they found time to touch on selections from their other albums as well, most notably “Rag” from 1990’s Ten Spot and “Pebbles” from 1992’s Get Your Goat.




Though they gave The People everything they could have asked for and more from an STT show a decade and change after the fact, something was lacking from their performance.  Maybe it was because they’re older and wiser and less pissed off, but while they had no problem navigating the House Of Leaves-like corridors of their frequently complex music, an expected razor-like execution seemed to be missing throughout.

Wedren kept the night friendly with lots of comedic patter between songs, creating contrast to the noisy and often dark material the band played.  “You guys know the song ‘Chocolate?’” he asked the crowd of a selection from 1991’s Funeral At The Movies.  “This is our version of that song – by us.”

It’s likely that had they chosen a more user-friendly manifestation of their music, Wedren and STT guitarist Nathan Larson would have risen above the ranks of their 90s-rock peers to some sort of iconic hero status.  Despite the years, Wedren’s unique voice continues to impress and guitarist Nathan Larson’s unusual guitar passages seem as fresh and inventive as they did in the Days Of Flannel.  But STT’s choice in art limited their popular appeal.  Not accessible enough to be Pearl Jam and not disturbing enough to be Tool, they relegated themselves to becoming a marginally remembered outfit, loved most by a minority of obsessives.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Friendsite] [Furl] [Google] [Ma.gnolia] [Mister Wong] [MySpace] [Propeller] [Reddit] [Rojo] [Squidoo] [StumbleUpon] [Technorati] [Twitter] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Live Review: The Kooks With The Whigs at The Palladium

Published
by
Truffle Jones
on November 5, 2008
in General, Performance, Reviews and Truffle Jones
. 0 Comments

October 28, 2008

Where were you the night of October 28th?

Chances are, if you’re female and between the ages of 16 and 27 — and even remotely into music — you were at The Kooks show at the Palladium.

When offered nutty or wacky, we'll take Kooky every time. (photo by the author)

When offered nutty or wacky, we'll take Kooky every time. (photo by the author)


Though not a household name by any means, U.K.’s mega-stars The Kooks have been no secret to the States’ female population; by way of example, a few impromptu performances around UCLA earlier this May came accompanied with near-riots of practically all-female admirers.

Hollywood’s Palladium — the recently opened, lovingly restored jewel of Los Angeles’ GA concert venues — was undersold though pleasantly packed, dominated by screaming girls who held cameras and phones aloft through much of the headliners’ performance.

Despite only having two albums of proper material, The Kooks, who are known for prodigious sets rife with covers, plumbed the depths of their live catalogue and surprisingly had little problem treating their fans to over an hour and a half of music, including their trio of best successes: “Naïve,” “Ooh la” and “She Moves In Her Own Way.”  True, their on-stage presence wasn’t exactly mesmerizing, and their set seemed to drag at times (with more than a few songs resembling the aforementioned “Naïve,” “Ooh la” and “She Moves In Her Own Way”), but it appeared that singer/guitarist Luke Pritchard, by virtue of being present, allowed most of those in attendance to look beyond these shortcomings.

Call it a victory for the music biz’s old guard, but the mechanical release of well-smithed, radio-friendly singles has served this band and their fans quite well.  The Kooks further serve as a reminder that there’s always plenty of room for great pop music, regardless of the hands which guide it.

Show instigators The Whigs one-upped their recorded selves by turning in a sweaty set on the Palladium’s unadorned stage.  With only themselves to serve as an attraction, they went the extra mile to win over as many of the uninitiated as possible during their allotted time.  A kinetic and damaged rendition of “Right Hand On My Heart” was a stand-out moment – hopefully indicating the direction of things to come on their next release.




[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Friendsite] [Furl] [Google] [Ma.gnolia] [Mister Wong] [MySpace] [Propeller] [Reddit] [Rojo] [Squidoo] [StumbleUpon] [Technorati] [Twitter] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Top Five Indie Albums You Must Own Classic & New

Published
by
Ighuaran
on October 26, 2008
in Lists
. 0 Comments

By Ian Dougherty

Do you want to be an indie music fan, but don’t know where to start? Below are some of your core indie albums that every fan should have in his or her collection. Some are classic, others are a little more recent on the music front. Leave a comment if you don’t agree.

‘The Soft Bulletin’ by The Flaming Lips

Why:
• It was the first album to fully harness the band’s commercial spirit
• It set the groundwork for their amazing live shows
• Songs like ‘Waiting For Superman’, ‘Race For the Prize’ and ‘The Spark that Bled’

They may be better known for their spectacular live shows featuring Wayne Coyne running across the crowd in a giant bubble, fancy dress costumes, glove puppets and much more but this album contains everything that is great about The Flaming Lips. The introduction to opening track ‘Race for the Prize’ immediately informs you that something special is about to happen, the small count in and then crashing gong immediately gives way to a track that is almost too positive to imagine. Wayne Coyne may sound like Kermit the Frog on acid but as a lyricist and front man he is second to none.

‘Daydream Nation’ by Sonic Youth

Why:
• Possibly the bands most accessible album
• The vocal interplay of Kim and Thurston
• It retains all the guitar fuzz that Sonic Youth are known and loved for
• Tracks like ‘Teenage Riot, ‘Candle’ and ‘Silver Rocket.’

There has been an increase in the ‘Don’t Look Back’ series of gigs where a band plays a classic album from their history. In some cases you have been left wondering why an album was held in such regard that it required to be dragged out again years later but this can’t be said about ‘Daydream Nation.’

Opening track ‘Teenage Riot’ sets the tone with its high tempo and squalor and the noise and confusion doesn’t really give up over the rest of the album. It is not often that all the magazines will have the same opinion on indie rock but there appears to be universal acclaim for ‘Daydream Nation’ and it has captured the true genius of Sonic Youth. At times their albums have been patchy and perhaps too experimental for some ears but on this 1988 release they got it exactly right.




‘The Queen is Dead’ by The Smiths

Why:
• The album features Morrissey at his most humorous
• Johnny Marr starting to show his true talent on guitar
• Brings together many different styles in one cohesive record
• Tracks like ‘I Know its Over, ‘Cemetery Gates’ and ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes out’

For some, The Smiths will be the perfect template of an indie band such was the mix of intelligent lyrics and working class backgrounds. It is fair to say that the majority of the focus falls upon Morrissey but Johnny Marr showcased a sense of jangle guitar that went a long way to influencing the entire Britpop era.

‘The Queen is Dead’ album has a largely humorous streak running through it and it stands as a strong argument to people who say that indie music is all po-faced and afraid to have fun. Morrissey may set himself up as being pretentious at times but tracks like ‘Frankly Mr Shankly’ and ‘Vicar in a tutu’ indicated he could enjoy a laugh with the best of them.

‘Rings Around The World’ by Super Furry Animals

Why:
• It was their largest and most ambitious album to date
• It brought to light so many of their influences
• It has Paul McCartney and John Cale appearing on it
• Tracks like ‘Receptacle for the Respectable’ and ‘Juxtapozed Wit U’

Welsh indie wizards the Super Furry Animals have always been regarded as an innovative and adventurous band but this 2001 release showcased the band at their most “out there”. With not much emphasis on their techno past, this album crosses the gap between indie rock and classic 60s Beach Boys effortlessly. They have never quite managed to equal this masterpiece but they have created a great number of albums since.

‘Funeral’ by Arcade Fire

Why:
• The vast array of instruments on show
• Really powerful song, emotionally and musically
• Fantastic percussion and rhythm sections
• Tracks like ‘Wake Up’, ‘Power Out’ and ‘Rebellion (Lies)’

They pulled off one of the hardest tricks in music, namely writing an album about death and change yet making it sound like the most uplifting album of the year. There were a few stand out singles released from this record but collectively it worked tremendously and still stands up to repeated plays today.

Follow up album ‘Neon Bible’ took the band to a higher level and you can see them rivaling U2 and REM in a few years if they continue this upwards trajectory but ‘Funeral’ remains a must hear album for anyone drawn to grandiose statements and classic songs.

Ian Dougherty is a freelance music writer and lover from the United Kingdom. Dougherty has written for well known music magazines, Ezines, and websites for over fifteen years. For the latest in indie albums and to keep up on the latest news on an indie blog, visit MadeLoud.com, where bands keep more from each digital music download.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Dougherty
http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-Five-Indie-Albums-You-Must-Own-Classic-and-New&id=1518647