Eight bands, representing selections from the lineups of Hardly Art and Sub Pop. And thus, short takes on each.
Unnatural Helpers: Like Idle Times, with whom they share members, it’s solid, unpretentious garage rock. Dean Whitmore’s vocals sound like a more ragged Craig Finn circa-Lifter Puller, which is a plus; the sole downside was their 7 …
Arrived at the Music Hall of Williamsburg a few songs into Headlights‘ set. Last year’s Some Racing, Some Stopping ended up earning an unexpected amount of listening time — it’s a solid, enjoyable pop record, at times reminiscent of Saturday Looks Good To Me, but with less of SLGTM’s overt nostalgia and evocations of fading …
I’m pretty sure I saw Califone opening for Wilco years ago and was unimpressed. I’m going to chalk that up to an off night on either their part or mine; ever since I heard one of their more recent albums — pretty sure it was Heron King Blues — I’ve been returning to their music …
The latter part of last Thursday night was spent at Don Pedro’s, taking in an Impose-curated night of noisy rock music. Girls at Dawn took the stage shortly after I arrived, and it took me longer than expected to realize that they were not the three-piece that I took them for; there was, in fact, …
The Press came highly recommended via friends of mine, with suggestions that their sound was a more accessible, rock-oriented take on the improvisational/ambient-fueled pop currently beloved in many circles of this city. I’m not sure I agree — the sound I heard recalled, in places, recent Modest Mouse and The Walkmen, albeit with a distinctly …
So: I saw Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner, and Matthew Ritchie’s The Long Count at BAM earlier tonight. While I’m still getting my head around the piece itself, I had a couple of stray thoughts on the piece.
1. Primarily: the piece is excellent. Dynamic enough for those in the audience who know the Dessners through their …
Friends who had heard The Seedy Seeds previously told me after their set at Trash Bar had wrapped up that the space’s sound system had done them no favors, that certain elements of their sound had been lost in the mix. For my part, I still liked what I heard, even knowing that certain instruments …
Despite a fondness for the bands in which Bradford Cox plays, I’ve listened to both Deerhunter and Atlas Sound far more in their recorded versions than in the live setting. Tuesday’s show at Le Poisson Rouge was my first time seeing the latter, and while I found myself nodding my head to the most direct …
Shellshag. Noisy, covers-friendly duo. Epic drum fills, and an epic drum tower to close out their set. Also in the set in question: a pretty solid version of Liz Phair’s “Fuck and Run,” and a reminder that I really need to delve into the back catalog of This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb one of …
I think I’m coming around on Crystal Stilts. An abundance of people whose opinions I trust have had good things to say about them in the past, and I’m finding my indifference towards them moving distinctly towards the “like” column. Seeing them live had a dual effect on me: on the plus side, I found …
Was Glasslands humid for this Thursday night show? Yes; yes, it was. I spent much of the show flashing back to younger days spent in basements and VFW halls under similar sweltering conditions, and occasionally wondering whether my beard had made things much, much worse.
German Measles were on first. I recognized a couple of the …
-The Part About Lightning Dust-
Something about space and silence. Back in my zine-editor days, I remember interviewing Ted Leo, whose live setup at the time involved an electric guitar and very little else. We got to talking about Billy Bragg’s Back to Basics, and how that album — that sound, really — was defined in …
So: buoyed by some fine press and an interest in good pop music, I headed to Permanent Records last Friday to take in an in-store from Pow Wow!, whose New-Jersey-to-Brooklyn transition was one to which I could relate. I entered a song or two into their set, and immediately liked what I heard: organ- and …
Iron & Wine fall into the category of artists whose music I’ve enjoyed for years but who I’ve never seen live. I had a ticket for one show at the Knitting Factory circa Our Endless Numbered Days, but ended up having to pass due to a prior commitment, and the progressively larger venues they’ve played …
Cinemasophia: Quasi harmonies bolstered by a massive sound: shoegaze density with some postpunk precision thrown in. Also: some “this is our first time in New Jersey” banter, which was pretty charming.
Jean on Jean: Solid indiepop, performed solo; that I can’t think of much to say here shouldn’t suggest that I didn’t like the set.
Ringfinger: Also …