Reflecting off of your CD

I'm thinking I'm going to try bringing this back

2010-09-26T11:04:00.001-07:00

So we'll see how this goes, I guess.

Wherein I gush to Vicky about seeing John Darnielle last night

2010-05-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Setting matters so much in concerts. I think the thing is that, up until this point, the "transcendental" moments for me have been with HUGE amounts of people, or big settings, stuff like that. Daft Punk 07 and Kanye West 09 were both at Lollapalooza, which was, of course, gigantic. Wilco at the Pavilion in 09 and at the Riviera in 08 were both rather large settings. The Riviera is much cozier than the UIC Pavilion, but we're still talking 2500 people. Every time I've seen the Flaming Lips it was in a huge crowd. The Hold Steady/Drive-By Truckers show at the Riv in 08 was pretty big. Springsteen was at the United Center. So I mean, these things...they're big. Sometimes they're outright big, other times they're relative big, but still, big.

Last night with John Darnielle was small. Like, almost tiny. It was at the American Theater Company, which doesn't really have a big space to begin with. I would say there were, tops, 130 people in the room. Before the first song he passes this little notebook around the audience, and everyone who wants to can write down a request. He didn't really prepare a set-list except for maybe six or seven songs. After he finishes those six or seven he starts going through the requests.

I requested Golden Boy. Apparently there was a note at the top of the first page where John wrote that he was not going to play Golden Boy. I didn't read that part, but I wrote it down anyway. After I passed the notebook away he started talking about how no matter how many people want to hear Golden Boy, and no matter how badly they want to hear it, he wasn't going to play Golden Boy. Dammit. Juan requested Cubs in Five. Also a great song, but it's depressing as hell.

So after Going to Georgia (amazing song) he gets the notebook back and starts going through the requests. Some of the songs are super old and he didn't remember the words/chords, but someone in the audience knew how each song went, and he gave some of those a try. There were songs that only one person in the room remembered, and then there were singalong songs that were absolutely amazing. After he started doing requests he moved off the microphone and unplugged his amplifier. He asked the audience to move down, and everyone in the first three rows went and sat on the floor, while everyone behind them moved up into vacant seats. It was like a campfire thing where John Darnielle was our slightly drunken scout leader singing his songs about love, hate, rock and roll, and people from Texas. He also did a cover of The Sign by Ace of Base, which up to this point I've only seen on YouTube.

It was an amazing set, and then came the encore. He comes out, and he does a couple of songs on the piano, one of them new and one of them a cover. Then he does a cover of a Dio song because Ronnie James Dio died yesterday, and John Darnielle loves Black Sabbath. He also played Cubs In Five, which in and of itself was amazing, and made my night. It's a song that contains, in the chorus, "and the Chicago Cubs will beat every team in the league," but it's basically mentioning things that the singer knows will never happen. It's like "well, if these things happen then I'll love you again, but I won't love you again because there's no way in hell these things will ever happen." However, the hook is still "and the Chicago Cubs will beat every team in the league," which means every time he's in Chicago people yell for it.

But then, Vicky. But then. Then he played Golden Boy. HE FUCKING PLAYED GOLDEN BOY OH MY GOD. EVEN THOUGH HE EXPLICITLY SAID THAT HE WOULD NOT. AND I REQUESTED GOLDEN BOY IN THE BOOK AND OH MY GOD. IT WAS LIKE ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS AND TIMES AND THIS AND THAT AND OK I'M TAKING OFF CAPS LOCK now. He said he played it because we didn't yell for it, and that at every one of his other shows there's always someone in the audience who shouts "Golden Boy!" after every song, which makes him not want to play it. He has a theory that some people only want him to play Golden Boy because they know he'll yell at them if they shout for it. I just wanted him to play it because 1. I know that he never plays it, and 2. I really like the song.

It seemed like it went on forever but at the same time there's no way I wanted it to stop. It ended with a singalong to The Best Ever Death Metal Band From Denton, complete with a chorus of HAIL SATAN at the end, sung by everyone in the crowd.

Because it was a fundraiser there were raffle prizes and stuff. After the encore they were drawing more raffle prizes and John came back out to pull some. (I won tickets to a theater production earlier in the night, which was cool. Who knows when that'll get used) He then said "if we raise $100 I'll sing Houseguest a-capella." So then we raised $100, and he sang Houseguest a-capella, walking around the audience, singing into their faces, exaggeratedly pushing people. It was an absolutely incredible way to end the night, and oh my god.

Intimate vs. Gigantic. It's so rare that something like this comes up. The last time Mountain Goats were in Chicago they played the Metro. There's also the difference between a full band and a solo performance. The full band has to be tighter and the singer can't ramble on about whatever he wants for five minutes.

But anyway, I'm still on a high from this. Absolutely amazing. Thanks for reading, Vicky, if you managed to make it all the way through.

Belated New Years resolution

2010-01-26T22:37:00.000-08:00

Listen to 5 albums a week, at least one that I haven't heard before.

Will that happen?

Honestly I doubt it.

But it's going to start tonight.

Maybe.

This blog is probably not dead

2010-01-06T16:09:00.001-08:00

I just need to think about what I want from it and what I want it to be. I certainly want to keep doing it in some form, but maybe not the form that it is now. We'll see.

Other stuff might start taking place here.

For now I'll just listen to the Exploding Hearts.

Brandon's favorite albums that happened to be released between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009

2009-12-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

Again, this is not definitive, and it's not meant to be definitive. These are, as the title of this post reflects, just some of my favorite albums that happened to be released between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009. This is not everything I liked from the decade. I limited it to one pick per artist, although if there are other albums I really like by them that were released this decade I do make a note of that. Other than number one it's not really in any order. The decision to list 15 was pretty arbitrary. No 2009 releases were listed.

So...bring on the indie rock! [featuring Kanye West]

Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence

Jennifer O'Connor: Over the Mountain, Across the Valley, and Back to the Stars

Sufjan Stevens: Illinois [but sometimes Seven Swans]

Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes

The Mountain Goats: All Hail West Texas [but sometimes The Sunset Tree, and occasionally Get Lonely]

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Beulah: The Coast is Never Clear

The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday [but depending on the situation, Boys and Girls in America]

The National: Boxer [but now and then, Alligator]

The New Pornographers: Mass Romantic [and rarely Electric Version, and sometimes to be contrarian, Challengers]

Spiritualized: Songs in A&E

Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand

Stars: Set Yourself on Fire [sometimes In Our Bedroom After the War]

Spoon: Girls Can Tell [this one was close: sometimes Kill the Moonlight and other times Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but I think Girls Can Tell is just a personal favorite]

Anrew Bird: Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs

The Decemberists: Picaresque

Kanye West: Graduation [sometimes 808s & Heartbreak, and other times Late Registration]

Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood [but Blacklisted has her best song]

Silver Jews: Bright Flight

Way to go, City of Chicago

2009-12-27T12:36:00.000-08:00

"New" Music Mondays, and Edible Audible Picnic series
Pritzker Pavilion
June 8 - August 31, 2009

Maybe this is cheating. Who cares. Collectively, having these every Monday (for free, too!), and the people with whom I saw them made my summer.

June 8 - St. Vincent
June 15 - Pit Er Pat
June 22 - Sea and Cake, Dirty Projectors
June 29 - Black Moth Super Rainbow
June 29 - Feelies, Icy Demons
August 10 - Shellac, Shearwater
August 17 - Emily Wells
August 24 - Red Red Meat, Rural Alberta Advantage
August 31 - Robert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine, Bunny Clogs

Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move (June 22)

The Feelies - Raised Eyebrows (June 29)

Shellac - My Black Ass (August 10)

Reflecting off of your CD

2009-12-26T23:45:00.001-08:00

[Part of the Concerts of the Year recap on RooYCD]

Jeff Tweedy
The Vic
February 14, 2009

Wilco
UIC Pavilion
October 18-19, 2009

This basically comes down to these things:

- The entire setlist on February 14 (but especially Someday Soon)
- Misunderstood on October 18 [gets me every time]
- Via Chicago [gets me every time] to open, and then Poor Places into Spiders (Kidsmoke) on October 19

I mean, everything second of these shows rocked, but these made it all worth the price of admission. Also, generally speaking, seeing your favorite band in concert seldom disappoints.

[the alternate line of Heavy Metal Drummer that they do live is awesome]

I put these shows together and maybe I shouldn't have. Sure, they pull from the same pool of songs and in each case they/he did about 30 of them. Also, in each case, Tweedy talked a lot when he wasn't singing.

However, in presentation they're very different. By nature, the solo show is very sparse and the set-list is a combination of fan favorites and rarities (and requests). The full band show is huge, meant to fill a larger space, and the set-list is more driven by songs that people know, and songs to which people can dance or rock out.

But either way, here they are. Different, but in some ways the same. I loved every minute of all of it.

I'm glad I have a Wilco.

Missed Connections m4w - Thanks for letting us move in front of you at Springsteen

2009-12-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

[Part of the Concerts of the Year recap on RooYCD]

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
United Center
September 20, 2009

We got there pretty early, cause we had floor tickets. It was gonna be a long night, cause Bruce Springsteen plays for two-and-a-half hours at least, and it's been a while since my mom's stood for that long [oh yeah, that was my mom with me at the Springsteen concert].

Ninety percent of the people on the floor had probably seen Bruce multiple times. We were rookies, and you could probably tell. The floor was starting to fill in, and you could tell that only one of us could see, and you said that we could move in front of you, which was incredibly nice. We moved up, and exchanged a little bit of conversation. I think I recall you saying that you had seen them before, but I don't recall if you said the number of times.

I had regretted not seeing him when he came to town back in May. I had tickets in my cart on Ticketmaster, but I probably didn't have enough money in my checking account to justify it. You were probably at that one, and at the one before, and the one before, going back probably at least a decade.

Started off pretty strong at the beginning [holy shit, Johnny 99!]

Then he cut into Born to Run [the album, and later the song], and I was just fixated on the stage. Absolutely nothing was going to take me out of that moment, and it was the most incredible hour or so. "Thunder Road" is in the running for "best song ever," and to finally hear it was just an amazing experience. The piano and voice to start, and then the explosion of sound that stays through the rest of the record. The entire crowd sang along the entire time, and usually that's really annoying, but this was something else. "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" explodes when played live. "Night" and "Badlands" are, of course, awesome, and though I had only recently, at the time, started to gain appreciation for "She's the One," seeing and hearing it live made me love it ever more. Even "Meeting Across the River" was a great setup to "Jungleland" when I feel that I too often hit >> on record. Never again. All of this goes without mentioning "Born to Run" the track, which might be the best live experience in rock and roll. You knew that already, and you've probably seen these songs countless times, but do you remember how you felt the firs time? That's how this felt. All I can say is "wow."

Of course, there were other songs other than Born to Run, but when it was announced that he was playing Born to Run in its entirety, for the second time ever [it's since been done more times] that put me over the top. I said "yes, I am fucking going." Now, you were probably going anyway, which is absolutely awesome. I used my graduation as a reason to justify my buying tickets, but honestly, I probably would've gone anyway.

On our way out I realized I didn't thank you for letting us move up. I might've said something at the beginning, but I feel like I should have looked back at the end and given you a nod, or a wave, or even a high five. We just left after American Land, still missing out on "Rosalita" and "Dancing in the Dark," but I don't feel that that in any way detracts the experience, [and hey, we beat traffic!] but forgetting to say something to you does. So, let me take this opportunity: thank you, and maybe I'll see you next time. I will be going back.

Walk on back

2009-12-26T21:35:00.000-08:00

[Part of the Concerts of the Year recap on RooYCD]

The Hold Steady
Taste of Randolph Street
June 21, 2009

This is gonna be brief:

"How a Resurrection Really Feels" and "Killer Parties."

That is all.

...and someone stole my record player...oh, for Chrissake...how d'ya like that?

2009-12-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

More end of year stuff soon. Probably a couple more concert things, and an end of decade thing.

But until then:

Happiness makes you cry

2009-12-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

[Part of the Concerts of the Year recap on RooYCD]

The Flaming Lips
Pitchfork Music Festival, July 19
Allstate Arena, December 11

Ok, this is pretty much every Flaming Lips concert I've ever seen, including the ones this year:

- Race for the Prize intro, featuring confetti, balloons, Wayne's space bubble, and the members of the Flaming Lips coming out of a woman's vagina (formerly "and the members of the Flaming Lips coming out of a spaceship)

- Alternating set-list between slower numbers and sing-along songs. Always featuring the Yeah Yeah Yeah song, She Don't Use Jelly, and a group singalong to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. (sometimes includes Fight Test) The Yeah Yeah Yeah song features large, confetti filled balloons. The Yoshimi singalong is slower than the record, and at the ends of "Yoshimi," and "Jelly," Wayne has everyone sing along to the last verse and chorus a second time, just because.

- Some new songs worked in.

- Wayne can't really sing anymore.

- Wayne talks a lot between songs, and you realize that they probably could have played at least one more song if Wayne would say, like, half of the words that he normally says.

- Also, wait, hold on, Wayne still plays guitar?

- Big finish with Do You Realize??, everyone loses their shit, starts crying, and realizes that they just had the most amazing hour and a half.

- 48-72 hours of "oh my god, that was amazing," and other general happiness.

- Wait 6-12 months, repeat.

Race for the Prize at Pitchfork [Original Flaming Lips p4k recap from July]

She Don't Use Jelly at Allstate

Do You Realize??

2009-12-12T10:43:00.001-08:00

Gets me every time.

Every.

Time.

Brandon's 20 favorite albums of 2009

2009-12-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

This has been floating around Facebook for a few days, but here it is on the blog. This is my no means meant to be definitive, but rather it's just my favorites of what I've listened to. It is in rough order. What'd I miss this year, what else would I like?

Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion

RIYL: Life; music

The Avett Brothers: I and Love and You

Recommended if you have a heart; or if you're the tin man and don't.

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

RIYL: pop music

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

RIYL: Indie pop music

Neko Case: Middle Cyclone

RIYL: Albums with great covers; fifteen minutes of swamp noise

Metric: Fantasies

RIYL: Songs that should be listened to at night

Tegan and Sara: Sainthood

RIYL: Two to three minute long indie rock songs; Canadians

Ha Ha Tonka: Novel Sounds of the Noveau South

RIYL: Missouri between St. Louis and Kansas City

Bill Callahan: Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle

RIYL: songs with birds in the title

Wilco: Wilco (the Album)

RIYL: 101.9 FM; bands that have songs about themselves

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down: Know Better, Learn Faster

RIYL: Asian Americans

Scotland Yard Gospel Choir: …And the Horse You Rode In On

RIYL: Belle and Sebastian; Chicago

Justin Townes Earle: Midnight at the Movies

RIYL: Country, folk, country-folk

Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career

Recommended if you are twee

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast

RIYL: Andrew Bird

Dinosaur Jr.: Farm

RIYL: whatever alternative rock is

The Thermals: Now We Can See

Recommended if you're interested in hearing what a band who really hated George Bush sounds like now that George Bush is no longer president.

Marissa Nadler: Little Hells

RIYL: Reverb vocals

St. Vincent: Actor

RIYL: Songs about show business

The Mountain Goats: Life of the World to Come

RIYL: The Bible (probably as literature)

Gummy

2009-12-01T19:30:00.001-08:00

Submitted my Gummy Award ballot today, and y'all should too.

Gummy Awards

I'll say this: I have a crush on Thao.

Precursor to lists

2009-11-27T22:57:00.000-08:00

I think years and decades are pretty arbitrary markers of eras in popular music. What makes the 2000s the 2000s, and what makes something released in October 1999 markedly different from something released in February 2000, other than that only one can be included in a "Best Albums 2000-2009" list? Mark Grace had the most hits in the 1990s, and Todd Zeile had the most errors in the 1990s, but really, what importance to either of those statistics have (beyond being cool trivia answers) when neither of those guys are going to get into the Hall of Fame of anything beyond "Cubs players beloved by certain groups of women in Lincoln Park between 1989 and 2002." (and a larger question of whether anyone...ever really loved Todd Zeile is certainly debatable)

Still, I'm a sucker for lists. It's hard to have a list of you don't set these markers, or else you just have a bunch of records (not that there's anything wrong with just having a bunch of records, and in fact, sometimes it's cool to just have a bunch of records). In the coming weeks, there will be lists. There will be a Favorite Albums of 2009 list, and there will be a Favorite Albums of the 2000s list. These lists will ultimately not mean much other than display how much I think I like Spoon.

I also might be moving this over to Wordpress but I haven't decided yet. In the end I don't think there's much of a difference considering that I don't really mess with layout that much, but I like the [preliminary] way this Wordpress looks.

Drum and guitar

2009-11-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

White Mystery and Hollows
Empty Bottle
November 9, 2009

Sorry, I forgot the obligatory shitty photo of Hollows.

I'm a sucker for colored vinyl, too.

Spin

2009-11-25T15:21:00.000-08:00

It's a comforting feeling, to have a working record player. Now with a ground wire!

Goal: use it this weekend.

Sounds like someone else's song from a long time ago

2009-11-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

The needle on my record player broke last night and it scratched side D of my copy of Being There that I was listening to for the first time. The first three sides sounded really great. Side D might be the weakest side, but I'll be damned if Dreamer In My Dreams isn't an amazing album closer, and I really, really wanted to listen to (Was I) In Your Dreams, but that big SCRRRRRATCH that came when I tried to play the last side really messed up my evening. I checked the record today in the light and it's a pretty decent scratch. I wanna see how it sounds but I sort of...can't at this point. Ugh.

Caps off a really frustrating week, I tell you what.

Got this album on Tuesday

2009-11-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

Sue me.

A mix without a comment is like a mule without a spinning wheel

2009-11-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

you gotta give it one.

The most remarkable thing about coming home to you is the feeling of being in motion again

2009-11-16T21:19:00.000-08:00

It's the most extraordinary thing in the whole world.

Mountain Goats
Metro
November 5, 2009

(setlist via)

01. 1 Samuel 15:23
02. Letter From Belgium
03. Cotton
04. How to Embrace a Swamp Creature
05. Romans 10:9
06. Cobscook Bay
07. Evening in Stalingrad
08. Enoch 18:14
09. Deuteronomy 2:10
10. Genesis 30:3 (feat. Owen Pallett)
11. Going to Bristol (feat. Owen Pallett)
12. Hebrews 11:40 (feat. Owen Pallett)
13. Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace
14. Against Pollution
15. Psalms 40:2
16. Lovecraft in Brooklyn
17. Quito

first encore
18. No Children
19. This Year

second encore
20. Handball
21. Going to Georgia

That which the prophets spoke of long ago has come

2009-11-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

I'll be going to see Mountain Goats tomorrow, and it's my first concert since Wilco on October 19.

Brandon's perspective: this is the longest I've gone between concerts since Mother, Mother on March 3 and...yup, Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice on April 1.

Big picture perspective: STFU, you don't need to go to this many fucking shows, Brandon.

Broke free on a Thursday night

2009-11-04T19:25:00.001-08:00

I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

There might be feasting and dancing at CMJ next year.

But first I gotta make it through this year

if it kills me.

I'm a sucker

2009-11-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

for

vinyl

reissues.

Help Us Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, you're our only hope!

2009-11-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

On my copy of the Thermals/Thao split EP from Record Store Day there's an engraving on the Thermals side which says "I have a crush on Thao."

That's pretty much true.

Know Better Learn Faster is great.

http://www.thaomusic.com/

An Aural Arms Open Wide

2009-10-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

[setlists via Via Chicago]

Night One, Sunday, October 18:
Wilco (the song)
A Shot in the Arm
Bull Black Nova
You Are My Face
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
One Wing
Misunderstood
At Least That's What You Said
Deeper Down
Impossible Germany
It's Just That Simple
I'll Fight
Handshake Drugs
Sonny Feeling
Jesus, Etc.
Theologians
I'm Always in Love
Hate It Here
Walken
I'm the Man Who Loves You
-------
You Never Know
Heavy Metal Drummer
Just a Kid
Kingpin
Monday
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
Hoodoo Voodoo
I'm a Wheel

Night Two, Monday, October 19:
Via Chicago *
Bull Black Nova
A Shot in the Arm
Side with the Seeds *
You Are My Face
One Wing
I am Trying to Break Your Heart
Kamera *
I'll Fight
Impossible Germany
Country Disappeared *
Handshake Drugs
Far, Far Away *
Sonny Feeling
Box Full of Letters *
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again) *
Jesus, Etc.
Can't Stand It *
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Hummingbird *
-------
The Late Greats *
You Never Know
Hate it Here
Walken
Heavy Metal Drummer
Poor Places *
Spiders (Kidsmoke) *
Passenger Side *
Casino Queen *
Outtasite (Outta Mind)

*'s indicate that new songs not played on the first night.

Yes, I'm utilizing the tag "life affirming occurrences." Maybe it's because I haven't seen them in 14 months, but I still know for damn sure that they brought it. One Wing KILLS live, absolutely KILLS. Misunderstood on night one made me melt on the inside, and so did Via Chicago opening night two. Night two also had the best encore/second set ever. Poor Places into Spiders (Kidsmoke) was every bit as omgworthy as I thought it would be. Far, Far Away is, like, my UIC song, even though it's not that far away from the city lights at all, but it's totally my UIC song, so to hear that played was amazing. I have an incredible new appreciation for Hoodoo Voodoo, which is completely different when seen versus heard on record or heard on bootleg at this point. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart is probably the best song of the 2000s, I ain't gonna lie.

I know it's a week later, and that last paragraph was really just a series of thoughts strung together, but let me tell ya, it was just that great.

Don't stay away too long, guys.

Watch as those sweet babies crawl away

2009-10-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

One year ago in Chicago.

It was just...wow.

Feel the pain of everyone

2009-10-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Jr.
The Vic
October 15, 2009

Setlist, via Consequence of Sound (who also have a great write up) :

Thumb
In A Jar
I Want You To Know
Imagination Blind
Get Me
Pieces
Plans
Feel The Pain
Over It
Forget the Swan
Back To Your Heart
The Wagon
Freak Scene
---
Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover)
The Lung

From Feel the Pain to Freak Scene was just...wow.

I think Dinosaur Jr. is in that realm of bands that I have to see every time they're in town now. Drove to Dekalb to see them earlier this year. Don't want to go to Dekalb ever again, but oh man, that night at Otto's was a great couple of hours.

Transparence

2009-10-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Loney, Dear, Asobi Seksu, Anna Ternheim
Bottom Lounge
October 10, 2009

I know where I'll be [tomorrow night]

2009-10-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

This was the last time Wilco performed in Chicago.

Until tomorrow.

Fun times ahead.

Tom Tales

2009-10-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this album. There's no way in hell any of this is going to be at all bad.

Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live from Anti Records on Vimeo.

...and this, from VH1 Storytellers:

Vinyl Remorse

2009-10-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

I used to get vinyl remorse when I would buy a new album on vinyl. Like "oh, well shit, I should've gotten the CD." This year it happened with the new Decemberists album and the new Thermals album. With the Decemberists I got the vinyl because it came out a week before the CD, but it didn't come with a download and I think I've only listened to it twice. The Termals did come with a download, but I still found them getting shortchanged as far as listening time. I still enjoy the albums, I just wish I had gotten them on CD.

I got the new Mountain Goats album, Life Of The World To Come on vinyl on Tuesday, and I have no remorse yet. Other than the fact that the vinyl is purple there's no difference between that and the black one. But damn, I do like purple vinyl.

Oh yeah, and the album is also really good.

Mountain Goats
Mountain Goats label website
Last Plane To Jakarta
Purple Drapes

I called out your name

2009-10-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Alejandro Escovedo
Chicago Country Music Festival
October 4, 2009

This is the fourth time I've seen Alejandro since last July 4, and I think this is also the fourth backing band variation I've seen.

Also, for the record, I believe this is the first time I saw him play with Nicolas Tremulis.

It's ok, Mirah. I can read your handwriting.

2009-10-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

Mirah, Norfolk & Western
Schubas
October 3, 2009

It's going to be a long time before I forget the night that I saw Mirah play "Cold Cold Water."

Ok, let me tell you what it's like every time Pitchfork puts out a list

2009-09-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Me: Dude, how could p4k rank [this band] number [x] on their list?! Like what the hell?
Juan: Man, it's pitchfork.
Me: Yeah, I know, I shouldn't get worked up, it's just a list.
Juan: Yeah.
Me: But I like lists. Lists are fun.
Juan: Lists are good.
Me: They didn't release their number one yet, but know it's gonna be Radiohead.

[today's "[this band]" was Vampire Weekend, and "[x]" was equal to 51, on their top albums of the 2000s list. I'll probably do a fave albums of the decade list sometime soon. I can say one thing with some certainty: Vampire Weekend will probably not make it.]

No more cigarettes, no more havin' sex, no more drinkin' 'til you fall on the floor, no more indie rock, just a ticking clock

2009-09-29T06:47:00.001-07:00

Screen door slams

2009-09-22T04:53:00.001-07:00

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
United Center
September 20, 2009

Oh my god, this concert.

Just...oh my god. Yes, he's that good.

This Morning We Remembered Everything

2009-09-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

Circulatory System, Nesey Gallons, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't
September 18, 2009
Chopin Theater

Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't

Trust me, that's Circulatory System

Elephant Six Fall Obviously tour 2009. It was great, but I slept through a lot of Nesey Gallons. He was good, don't get me wrong, but this show ended at 1:50 am. Peter Erchick played "I Have Been Floated" :rock:!

That translates to: Thank you Ryan Adams for making a hit record to pay for all our duds

2009-09-22T04:36:00.000-07:00

Bloodshot BBQ featuring: Moonshine Willy, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Alejandro Escovedo, Rico Bell, Waco Brothers
September 12, 2009
Outside the Hideout

Moonshine Willy

Scotland Yard Gospel Choir

Alejandro Escovedo

Waco Brothers + Alejandro Escovedo

Bands, belt sander races, a drunken spelling bee, tumbling Scotland Yard Gospel Choir fans, the Waco Brothers and Alejandro Escovedo doing a song together, and a copy of the vinyl reissue of A Man Under The Influence. For what more could one possibly ask?

I would also like to take the opportunity to say that I would like to build a racing belt sander. Someday. Maybe not today. Eventually.

Going out of town for about a week

2009-09-22T04:31:00.001-07:00

so I'm gonna run off a few posts in a few minutes. Stand by.

Albums played in full

2009-09-20T10:27:00.001-07:00

I like the idea of albums being played front to back in a live setting. Let's see...

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation, at Pitchfork Fest '07
GZA - Liquid Swords, at Pitchfork Fest '07
Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray, Abbey Pub '08
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Pitchfork '08
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville, the Vic '08
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love, Lollapalooza '09

There are a couple of 10.0s up there (Daydream Nation, Nation of Millions), but I doubt that any of these are quite Born To Run.

So we'll see how this goes tonight.

It's no ploy, it's no gimmick, it's the chance of a lifetime to see something that's never been seen by mere mortals

2009-09-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

[Except you, and maybe you]

Holy crap, it's real.

I hope Chicago's big enough.

My Glow In The Dark Tour t-shirt does not glow in the dark

2009-09-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'm going to get back to posting other stuff soon, I swear.

Clarification

2009-09-14T08:22:00.002-07:00

This blog isn't picking sides or anything, it's just sayin'...

Let the record also show

2009-09-14T08:22:00.001-07:00

This blog likes Taylor Swift, too.

Let the record show

2009-09-14T08:21:00.001-07:00

This blog still loves Kanye West.

Among the dust and the microfiche

2009-09-12T00:34:00.000-07:00

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Depreciation Guild, Cymbals Eat Guitars
Logan Square Auditorium
September 8

"I think this is the first time anyone has been kicked out for moshing at a Pains of Being Pure at Heart show"

Between them, the combined p4k score for Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Cymbals Eat Guitars is 16.7. Dang, that's better than any one Beatles album! [but my math could be off...and also Rubber Soul is likely still better]

[and wow, that's an awful picture...sorry.]

thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com
TheirSpace

thedepreciationguild.com

Cymbals Eat Guitars on MySpace

Your Life Is Over

2009-09-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Titus Andronicus, The So So Glos, Cococoma
Bottom Lounge
September 7

"You're cool and everything, but this guy's wearing the shirt. It's not even written on with sharpie or anything, it's a real fucking shirt. This song's for him."

titusandronicus.net
TheirSpace

It took me a while to actually get into Airing of Grievances, but oh my god, it's really, really fantastic.

Bring the good boys home

2009-09-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

The 1900s
Pritzker Pavilion
September 4

TheirSpace

Wait, this doesn't sound like a love song

2009-09-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

"This is an awful song to dedicate to a woman."

Van Ghost
Wells Park Gazebo
September 1

vanghost.com
TheirSpace

I can't afford to wait

2009-09-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

From MoveOn. Public option now.

Hm, this is called a "pick?"

2009-09-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

Robert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine and Bunny Clogs
Pritzker Pavilion
August 31, 2009

"Jump," you say? With a soft "g" sound? Hm. I think I like "gump" better, but ok.

Also, for future reference, the next time I'm in Minneapolis: Midtown Greenway

Video killed the something something

2009-09-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

Pitchfork's top 50 music videos of the 00s

This is one of those things that's going to keep me up all night.

Play "Where Do You Run To!"

2009-08-31T14:53:00.001-07:00

Vivian Girls, acoustic set
Permanent Records In-Store
August 30, 2009

"No, we don't play that song live."

Scenes from the past

2009-08-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

Brandon: Hey Juan, have you ever listened to the Delgados?

Juan: Are you just asking me because they're Hispanic?

Brandon: No, I'm asking because they're Scottish.

Juan: Oh...ok.

We're number five!

2009-08-28T06:45:00.001-07:00

The Society of American Travel Writers has named Chicago the number five city in North America for live music behind New Orleans, New York, Austin, and Nashville. We're followed by Memphis, Montreal, Las Vegas, Branson (, Missouri), and Denver.

Having only been to Chicago I can't say anything about any of those other cities, but it doesn't seem that off base, at least in the top seven. Funny how no west coast cities made the list, although a general "music scene" is probably different from an "indie scene," at least to the Society of American Travel Writers. No Seattle, no San Francisco...hm. Curious omissions, I think, but that's just me.

Still though, hey Chicago!

[via gapersblock.com]

This one is for the '88 Oilers

2009-08-27T21:56:00.001-07:00

Red Red Meat and Rural Alberta Advantage
Pritzker Pavilion
August 24, 2009
RAA = my new favorite "new" band

"WOOOOO!"
"Hey, you're from Alberta?"
"Absolutely not, but I love that song!"

How many gazebos do you shemales need?

2009-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Tom Schraeder.
Wells Park Gazebo.
August 18, 2009.
Great way to spend a summer evening.

'Cause every night is like our first date.

Ted Kennedy has nothing to do with indie rock

2009-08-26T00:36:00.000-07:00

but damn, yo.

Time to kick some major ass on health care. Do it for Ted.

The mixtape making process is completely and totally gendered

2009-08-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

well duh.

Don't let this fading summer pass you by

2009-08-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

I made a list of things I wanted to do before starting work in late September. One of the items was "Attend 4+ concerts," which shouldn't be too hard. Another of the items was "Learn at least one guitar chord." That one is "lol"able.

We'll see how this goes.

We yelled "LIST THE RAT!"

2009-08-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

...and then they did.

Good list. It's worth checking out back from number 500. Nice job, Pitchfork, it was fun.

Fabric of our something something

2009-08-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

Saw this during Project Runway tonight...

Makes cotton seem...better.

Lollapalooza 2009 wrap

2009-08-18T23:47:00.001-07:00

That's it for Lollapalooza 2009 stuff, as far as I know. It took me a while to get through all of what I wanted to post, but there it all is.

Recap:

The Killers
Depeche Mode
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Band of Horses
Lykke Li
Decemberists and Animal Collective

My final word on Lollapalooza is basically this:
It's hot, it's sweaty, it's unsanitary, but it's just so much damn fun.

and I got my $60 passes for 2010. Can't wait!

When You Were Young

2009-08-18T23:46:00.001-07:00

There was one song that I knew I wanted to hear at Lollapalooza, going in. There was no way that the Killers weren't going to play their hits, ("Mr. Brightside," "All These Things That I've Done"...all great tracks) and there's no way the Killers weren't going to play "When You Were Young."

Then they did, and it was everything I'd hoped.

I'm not the biggest Killers fan or anything, but man can they put on a show. We were super late after Band of Horses, but all we really needed to see was the last 40 minutes or so. They ended with Mr. Brightside - All These Things That I've Done - [encore break] - Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - When You Were Young. Holy shit. [complete setlist here] Brandon Flowers said this was the biggest crowd in front of which they've ever played. They do this every night, and it looks like they do it every night, and you know what's coming, but they just do it so well.

As we're leaving I say "Hey Juan, wanna see if Jane's is still doing their encore?"

"No."

And after this, why the hell would we?

Policy of Truth

2009-08-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Now, as opposed to Band of Horses and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who were just happy to be there, Depeche Mode does this sort of thing all the time.

They do what they do, and they do it well. Even if they're on autopilot (and it seemed like they might have been) they still do a really great show. They just have to know that at a festival gig, not everybody is going to know the words to the songs that aren't "Enjoy the Silence." [setlist here]

Highlight of the set: Martin Gore taking vocals on "Home."

After Chicago they headed to Seattle, and they had to cancel their two shows after Seattle, in San Francisco and San Diego.

I'm glad they didn't cancel, and I'm glad I saw them. They're big, they do what they do, they do it well, and they've been doing it for a long time. Great way to spend Friday night after a shitty, rainy day. One of the guys next to me was really mad that they only did one encore when Madison Square Garden got three. Oh well. It wasn't transcendent or anything, but it's hard to top "Personal Jesus" to end a festival day.

"Best! Crowd! Ever!"

2009-08-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

There's something to be said about being happy just to be there. Band of Horses seemed happy just to be there. They were so happy that they played 20 minutes over their time, right over Jane's Addiction.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were incredibly happy to be there. I mean, here they are, the little headliner that could. Are the Yeah Yeah Yeahs big enough to headline a festival the size of Lollapalooza? I dunno. Probably not. Not right now, anyway. Maybe in a couple of albums.

Now, how are you gonna top the Beastie Boys? I don't know. I mean, they're the fucking Beastie Boys. Sort of like how Lou Reed is Lou Reed, the Beastie Boys are the Beastie Boys, and it's going to be fucking hard to step up and say "Yo, we're filling in for the Beastie Boys."

Now, I wanted to see the Beastie Boys. When the original Lollapalooza lineup dropped, they were the one act that I really, really wanted to see. If I didn't get the $60 presale tickets, I would have gotten a one-day pass to see the Beastie Boys. So, when they had to cancel their tour I was disappointed, but what can you do, right? MCA has cancer, and you gotta put everything on hold. So was I less enthused when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were added to the bill? A little big. I know...three Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs. I was mozy-ing on over to see them after Animal Collective, taking my sweet time. No need to rush, right? Wrong.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs fucking brought it. They made Saturday at Lollapalooza. Would it have been "better" than what the Beastie Boys would have done? Who knows. It probably doesn't matter. The crowd was very into it, the songs played fantastically in downtown, and Karen O is...well, I can't even think of the right words. "Amazing" seems too generic. She also changed clothes almost as many times as Kevin Barnes. They had energy, and the crowd fed it right back. The situation seemed nothing less than perfect from where I was standing on the east side of the stage. Again, they were just happy to have been invited, but they were also able to step up and put on the show of the day. Sure, Karen O forgot the lyrics to "Maps" but nobody gave a damn. No, there wasn't an encore, but how were you going to top the first 80 minutes? It was one of those nights, one of those situations where nothing could go wrong, even if it did. Only the most hardcore of Beastie Boys fans who only showed up begrudgingly because they had already purchased tickets would have been disappointed by this, if even them. I don't know how you could have left this show without a big smile on your face. It's hard to even describe, but they just...did it.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are here, they're legit, and as a festival headliner, on this night, they were great. Karen O said we were the "Best! Crowd! Ever!" Thanks Karen. You guys were pretty fucking great, too. I believe in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Banned of Horses

2009-08-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

I actually saw Band of Horses twice during Lollapalooza. The first time was at the Kidzapalooza stage where they played three songs on Saturday, including "Nature," which they say will be on Yo Gabba Gabba next season.

Caught them again on Sunday after Lou Reed. Now, Lou Reed is Lou Reed, so he can start 15 minutes late and go 20 minutes over and nobody's going to complain. He's Lou Reed, he was in the Velvet Underground. You're not Lou Reed, and chances are you weren't in the Velvet Underground. Got it? So, when Lou Reed goes 20 minutes over, there's not really much Band of Horses can do.

So, Band of Horses finally gets the chance to rock out, and they do obviously, 20 minutes later than planned because Lou Reed wanted to read the lyrics to "Walk on the Wild Side" from his teleprompter. Band of Horses is great at rocking out, they bring it, all the way 'til 8:30, which is when Jane's Addiction is about to start.

Perry Farrell said that this year he was going to get a helicopter, and sure enough, starting at about 8:25 you could see a helicopter circling around downtown. Then once 8:30 came around it got closer and closer. I keep pointing it out to Juan, we keep laughing like "oh man, what the hell, Perry."

Now, what does Band of Horses do? At 8:30 they're wrapping up "Funeral." There were still a lot of people around the stage, and apparently everyone knew the words. Who'd've thunk it.

Then they kept playing.

Like, whoa.

"Should we play some more?" And the crowd goes wild.

"How about another?" Yes please.

They played for a good 20 more minutes. Jane's Addiction even started their set while Band of Horses was still playing.

Now look, Lou Reed can go 20 minutes over and nobody else is going to start their set. Band of Horses goes over, and Perry Farrell, the man who created this festival, is going to start. I'm sure in the middle of the stages there was some incredible [pejorative] sound bleeding, but where we were standing all we could hear is Band of Horses. Sure if we turned around we could see Perry and Dave Navarro on the jumbotron, but who wants to look at that when Band of Horses refuses to stop rocking the fuck out?

Chances are, Band of Horses is never getting invited back to Lollapalooza, considering the played over the headliner, who happens to be the dude who invented this thing. But really, it doesn't matter. This time, this one time, this night, they had the best damn set. It was the best set of the day, if not of the weekend, for me. Festival-affirming, right there. Way to go, Band of Horses. On this night, you were fucking heroes.

Gotta love Sub Pop recording artists from the pacific northwest who have beards and are named after quadrupeds.

Right?

[that's Fleet Foxes. They are also on Sub Pop, they also have beards, and they were also good at this festival]

Glut

2009-08-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

This was my fourth year at Lollapalooza, and for the first time in my four years did I skip a show because of the size of the crowd.

I definitely wanted to see Santigold on Saturday, and perhaps catch a little bit of TV on the Radio before heading to catch a little of Lykke Li and all of Animal Collective.

However, headed towards the north end of the park, where Santigold and TV on the Radio played, was absolutely awful.

That incredible glut of people leaving Arctic Monkeys and watching Santigold pretty much forced us to do an about face and see Lykke Li (above). It turned out to be an alright choice because her set was pretty good, but goodness gracious, that was insane.

Usually I can tolerate crowds. Hell, I go to Lollapalooza every year, and that's 75,000 people a day. I downright enjoy them sometimes. But that was impossible. I should've taken a picture.

"Screw You, Festivals"

2009-08-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

Or at least it seemed like that's what the Decemberists and Animal Collective said when deciding their set-lists. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The Decemberists played The Hazards of Love straight through on Friday, as they have been doing their whole tour. They've been doing one set of Hazards of Love, and then one set with old Decemberists songs. It was great hearing Hazards of Love, but I will say that it made me wish I had gone to the Metro show the night before, which was all fan requests. I think it made me like The Hazards of Love a bit more. On first listen I'll say that I really liked it, but I haven't had the inclination to listen to it since. I still think Side C is really strong, and I've gone back to listen to that side, but I haven't sat down and listened to the full album again. Maybe seeing them perform this will get me to do it. Knowing that the just announce Riviera show in October will be a Hazards of Love show will likely keep me away, but you never know.

Animal Collective then comes up on Saturday and they play their more slower, loopy, yelpy, pieces (setlist here). For the first half of the set, in the sunlight, they mostly stuck to that. For the second half they pulled out "Fireworks" and "Brothersport" to close their set, and the last 25 minutes were nothing short of incredible.

I'm hesistant to say that Animal Collective and the Decemberists are festival bands. In fact, I think I would say that they're incredibly not festival bands. Some bands are festival bands (probably Phish), but not these bands.

These set lists were very "we'll do what we want," and I can definitely appreciate that (especially from these guys moreso than, say, Billy Corgan). Sure, people didn't get to sing along at the top of their lungs to "Sixteen Military Wives" or "Summertime Clothes," and maybe sometimes that's for the best. Maybe, though, it would've been nice. Maybe.

Snare Drum

2009-08-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Steve Albini's favorite member of the 1994 Expos is Pedro Martinez.

I'm just saying, that team was all about Cliff Floyd and the young Rondell White. Just sayin'.

Shearwater was cool, too.

Lollapalooza pre-post

2009-08-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is not the Lollapalooza update, sorry. That will come once I figure out how to get pictures off of my phone. I will say these things:

- Fried Twinkies, yum.
- I lost a pound on Saturday and a pound on Sunday, just from going to Lolla.
- The shoes that I wore on Friday are still out of commission.
- omg the Killers.
- omg Band of Horses.
- Brothersport!
- omg Karen O

That's all for the time being. Now it's off to Shearwater/Shellac.

Like a Boa Constrictor

2009-08-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

There are these free dance classes in Chicago and they were just doing a promo and demonstration on the ABC 7 news. The dancers were dancing to "Boa Constrictor" and "Absolutely Cuckoo" by the Magnetic Fields.

Good choices.

More like Banned of Horses

2009-08-09T23:25:00.001-07:00

Gonna do more Lollapalooza updates over the next day or two, but oh my god, that Band of Horses performance was incredible. I also doubt they'll play at this festival ever again, but goodness did it rock.

More later.

A brief Lollapalooza update

2009-08-08T23:08:00.001-07:00

Will post more later, but for now I'm going to say that I think the most apt question for the headliners on Saturday night shouldn't be "How could the Yeah Yeah Yeahs live up to the Beastie Boys?" but rather it should be "How could the Beastie Boys top the Yeah Yeah Yeahs?"

and I love the Beastie Boys, but holy wow, the YYYs tonight.

[might be too soon to say any of this, and I'll see how I feel in 24 hours, but that performance was something else. Will expound later]

Preliminarypalooza

2009-08-06T23:11:00.001-07:00

Gotta admit, at this point there are no bands that I really, really, really want to see at Lollapalooza this year. The Beastie Boys were the one that I really, really, really wanted to see. As of now, here's what's on the docket:

FRIDAY
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears (or the Knux)
Bon Iver
Fleet Foxes
Decemberists
Of Montreal (sorry Andrew Bird)
Depeche Mode

SATURDAY
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
Langhorne Slim
Los Campesinos!
Joe Pug
Santigold
TV on the Radio/Lykke Li (still deciding)
Animal Collective
Yeah Yeah Yeahs

SUNDAY
Yello Fever/Ra Ra Riot
Dan Deacon
Neko Case
Passion Pit
Lou Reed
Band of Horses
The Killers (although it sounds like Parry Farrel is pulling a ton of crazy shit, including but not limited to helicopters and a Chinese Dragon Dance crew)

It's supposed to rain on Friday, and be hot as hell on Saturday and Sunday. Gotta stay hydrated, yo. I'll be sure to let the blog know how it goes. Here's to the weekend.

Got My Name From Rock and Roll

2009-08-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

American Songwiter counted down the Top 20 Jeff Tweedy Songs. Here's the list, along with a link to their post on each song:

20. The Long Cut
19. That's Not the Issue
18. Promising
17. She's a Jar
16. I Can't Keep From Talking
15. Impossible Germany
14. Wilco (the Song)
13. Gun
12. Sunken Treasure
11. Laminated Cat aka Not For the Season
10. Remember the Mountain Bed
9. Please Tell My Brother
8. Jesus, etc.
7. Heavy Metal Drummer
6. New Madrid
5. Hummingbird
4. A Shot in the Arm
3. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
2. Ashes of American Flags
1. Misunderstood

I don't disagree too much with this list, and especially not number one, since that song provided the URL for this blogspot.

Brandon's top 20 Jeff Tweedy Songs (not in any order except for Misunderstood)--

Misunderstood
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Sunken Treasure
Jesus Etc.
Via Chicago
Shot in the Arm
Radio King
Dreamer In My Dreams
Someday Soon
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Acuff-Rose
Screen Door
Gun
Too Far Apart
That's Not The Issue
Muzzle of Bees
Ashes of American Flags
Pot Kettle Black
Hummingbird
Hotel Arizona

My other list is: "The 19 songs from Being There, and 'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart'"

Edited to add: I don't really think any songs from the two most recent albums should make the list, but I will say that I feel really good when I listen to Wilco (the song).

Watch the world die

2009-08-03T01:42:00.000-07:00

I think that once I go to bed (whenever that'll be) I'm just going to put this song on repeat and fall asleep to it. It's been stuck in my head all night. I just watched that video for the first time, though, and it wasn't very good.

I do sing along to this song at high volumes every time it comes on the radio, and I plan on at least softly singing the words to myself tonight.

Fun [not really] story: Everclear played a free show at North Avenue Beach, like, three or four years ago. Art Alexakis was sick on the night of the show, and it was incredibly...low energy, to be nice. But, they still played this song, and it was great. He had a very limp handshake that evening. Hank Hill would've been upset.

Overheard during an unbearably long Cubs game

2009-08-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Len: We could pull up some Pavement, from the mid-90's.

Bob: Ya know...pave paradise and put up a parking lot.

Len: ...yeah...Big Yellow Taxi...

Re: concerts

2009-07-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

Quality or quantity?

Potpourri

2009-07-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon: I got my earplugs in the mail. I don't have any shows lined up between now and Lollapalooza, but I want to go to one just so I can try them out.

Last night: I forgot to update. First full day since I started writing regularly on here that went without an update. Sorry about that.

This morning: Finally started reading It Still Moves by Amanda Petrusich. Will talk about it once I'm done, but I made it through the first 50 pages and it's really good.

Tonight: I drove an extra time around the block so I could finish listening to a song. Sorry, world, I know that hurt a little bit. But see, the song was "Jungleland," so it's not like I could just...stop.

Now: There's an awful punk cover of "Leaving on a Jetplane" on this Bing commercial. Eew.

Cowboys in Flames

2009-07-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

One of Chicago's finest record labels, Bloodshot Records, announced the lineup for their 15th Anniversary show in Chicago, and oh my goodness, does it bring it. Alejandro Escovedo! Waco Brothers! Bobby Bare! The Blacks! Like, omgomgomgomg! All for $10!

It's part of a series of low cost, or free concerts that the label is putting on throughout the summer/fall as part of their anniversary. I was eying that lineup in Madison as a possible late summer road trip but I'm definitely going to hit up the hometown event.

Going to concerts without a phone

2009-07-26T11:02:00.001-07:00

Brandon: Oh shit, I forgot my phone in the car.
Barb: Oh. Do you think you'll need it?
Brandon: ...nah.

and guess what, I didn't!

It was cool not holding on to it to feel for vibes, it was cool not looking at it every five minutes during a less-than-exciting opening act, it made everything go by a bit faster, and I didn't even know what time the show ended (turned out, about 2 am[!!]).

I was able to answer a couple of texts when I got back to the car, and no harm was done.

There was a part where Jamie Lidell wanted to try this experiment where everyone takes out their cell phones and everyone makes them ring all at the same time. I wasn't able to participate but it didn't really work anyway.

Liberating experience.

Another Day

2009-07-25T18:34:00.001-07:00

I love winning free stuff. Fun times to come.

I'm just a fan

2009-07-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well I got Monday tickets, too.

Dangit Wilco.

Monsters of Folk

2009-07-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

The indie-rock-Traveling Wilburys, The Monsters of Folk, announced their fall tour and will be rolling through Chicago on October 30. This in and of itself is really cool.

Beyond that, though, they are donating $1 of every ticket sold to a local charity (a different one in each tour stop). For Chicago, that local charity is the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Way to pick an outstanding charity, Monsters of Folk! (that's completely genuine, absolutely no sarcasm intended) ICIRR is a great organization. They do outstanding work pushing for comprehensive immigration reform; community organizing; and citizenship guidance through the New Americans Initiative.

[Photo by Autumn De Wilde]

If it's too loud you're too old

2009-07-22T15:07:00.001-07:00

Ordered these today. Hopefully they're cool, and better than disposable ones. The brand comes endorsed by Vickylimbs!

Wilco will love you, baby

2009-07-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Scored my Wilco tickets via presale today. Gonna be on the floor for Wilco (the concert) at the UIC Pavilion. I can't speak to the sound at the Pavilion, as I've only been there for basketball games, commencement, and Barack Obama, none of which really needed to have great sound. Someone who saw Aretha Franklin at the Pavilion said that the sound isn't that bad, so we'll see. More info at the UIC Pavilion website.

In other news, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are officially on the bill and on the schedule for Lollapalooza.

Brandon, via text: "yeah yeah yeahs replacing Beastie Boys"
Juan, via text: "meh"

We missed their set two years ago when they were slotted between The Hold Steady and Spoon on a different stage and we opted not to move from our spot. I'd probably rather watch the Yeah Yeah Yeahs than go home early, but I ain't gonna lie, I really wanted to see Beastie Boys. Like, really. Like, "if I didn't get the gold rush tickets I would have gotten a single day pass just to see them"-really-wanted-to-see-them. So, any "replacement" is going to feel like a let-down, but I'll deal. It just means I can take my time coming back from Animal Collective.

And all your bad days will end

2009-07-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

Supposedly there are people out there who don't like the Flaming Lips' show. Well, obviously there are people out there who don't like the Flaming Lips' show, there are a lot of people out there who don't like a lot of things. Hell, not even Pitchfork liked the Flaming Lips set at Lollapalooza 2006, saying they were a big "flop," and even going so far as to say that Wayne Coyne is "indie rock's Carrot Top." Like whoa, Carrot Top?

Lollapalooza 2006 was my first Flaming Lips show, and it was really a religious experience. Then I saw them again in September 2007 at the Aragon, which conjured up all of the same good feelings all over again. Now here they are, headlining the Pitchfork Music Festival, and playing the songs that the fans voted on, which turned out to be, largely, the songs they play anyway.

Yeah there was a lot of confetti, and yeah there were lots of balloons, Wayne was riding on someone in a gorilla costume, and generally speaking there was incredible sensory overload, but that all comes with the territory when you're talking about the Flaming Lips. Then you have the music. This was the first time I saw them where they deviated a bit from the pool of songs the normally play, dusting off "Bad Days" from Clouds Taste Metallic, "Mountain Side" from In a Priest Driven Ambulance, and a Fearless Freaks number that they said Wayne said they've never played live before and will never play again, in addition to the normal tracks from which they pull. [though, in their defense, they dusted off a Zaireeka song at the Aragon] But, basically, people love the singles from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and don't we all? [full setlist is posted at setlist.fm]

There's nothing quite like 15,000 people experiencing the Flaming Lips together, singing along at the top of their lungs to "Do You Realize???" I completely forgot about the song, and after they played "She Don't Use Jelly" I, stupidly, didn't know what would come next. "Wait, what's number one?" Then they did the countown.

1!
2!
3!
4!
:guitar strum:

...oh, that's right. Holy SHIT.

Then the confetti, and the smoke, and the singing along. At least from where I was standing, everyone seemed to be on the same page. I can't speak for the people in the back, or the people who seem to be too cool to care. There aren't too many bands I really badly want to see every time they come to town, but the Flaming Lips are one of them. Even if they play the same songs every time, and do the same performance every time, I still need to be there. It's less a concert and more of an experience. I'm out there, tearing up and singing along at the top of my lungs like some sort of weirdo dope, but then I look around and everyone else was doing the same thing.

It was an incredible 80 minutes. Damn right it's a religious experience, and I know I'll be right there the next time they roll through Chicago.

I don't know what separated this time from the last two times I saw them. I don't want to use terms like "better" because I know that I can probably find more appropriate descriptions, but this time seemed...different, but in the best way possible. "I rocked my ass off with the Flaming Lips and it was the best night of my life" is basically the truth. I saw the Flaming Lips at Pitchfork Music Festival, and it made me a better person. Insert another t-shirt superlative here. That's how it basically was.

A final note: one of the balloons had a wedding proposal written on it. People seemed to be trying to get it passed to the front so Wayne could read it, but someone kept hitting it backwards. Later it showed up again with "YES" written under the proposal. Way to go, Dan and Amy, I hope you guys are together 4ever!

I posted my picture set up there. Here's a video of the end of "She Don't Use Jelly" and "Do You Realize???" that's surfaced on YouTube.

At least it was a thrill

2009-07-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

My attitude towards Frightened Rabbit has always been something along the lines of "oh, well, I'll just catch them the next time they come to town, cause they play here a lot," but dammit, I wish I had caught them before. Large, building, anthemic indie rock that actually plays really well at 1:30 in the afternoon.

This is the third time I've seen Blitzen Trapper in the past two years, and each time has been pretty great. This wasn't really anything like the first time I saw them at Schubas back in April 2008 [when Fleet Foxes opened], in the sense that that was in a tiny club and this was a big festival, but that doesn't mean they didn't still bring it. "Wild Mountain Nation" is still one of my favorite songs.

The Thermals are another one of those bands about whom I've said "oh, well, I'll just catch them the next time they come to town," except this one's been going on for two and a half years. I loved The Body, The Blood, The Machine, and I also love the new album, Now We Can See [another belated addition to the midyear faves list; I got it the week it came out but it took a while to listen to it]. It was a great set, lots of energy, and some choice covers including "Basket Case" by Green Day. [in the video you can see the Flaming Lips' set in the background, omg]

Closed out this part of the day with Vivian Girls. They brought it, too. but at that point I think we were way more excited about the impending Lips set than anything. It was a great set, and they sounded really good, but our minds were...somewhere else.

MCA where have ya been?

2009-07-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Ok so, I'm still sort of riding on a high from the Flaming Lips [holy shit], pics and words will come later, as will pics and words on the rest of Pitchfork Sunday. That high was continued this morning from the announcement that Wilco will be playing the UIC Pavilion on October 18.

But then that took a hit when word came across that MCA from the Beastie Boys has a cancerous tumor, and that their summer tour, including Lollapalooza, is canceled. Here's the announcement:

Get well soon, MCA. I'll send you good vibes and catch ya next time. http://beastieboys.com/

Can I ask you about today?

2009-07-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Fucked Up was...fucked up.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart! They played a new song, which sounded like a song that the Pains of Being Pure at Heart would perform.

Also saw Beirut for a little bit. No picture here.

and the fucking National. They played Mr. November before the encore, and it got me internally thinking something like "THEY PLAYED MR. NOVEMBER ALREADY, HOW COULD YOU PEOPLE WANT AN ENCORE?" But they played an encore anyway and closed with About Today, which was just as fucking good, I tell you what. I think they were going to play one more, but Matt went and talked to the stage people who told them to wrap it up, as it was already 10:00. Also the microphone was turned WAY up, like whoa.

Great, great set, can't wait for the new album.

One more day of Pitchfork Fest for the year. Wayne, time to put on a show.

They played Sugarcube!

2009-07-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

Yay!

Oh and Built to Spill played, too.

p[reliminary]4k fest

2009-07-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm watching these acts at Pitchfork fest (subject to change)

FRIDAY, JULY 17
8:40 (A) Built to Spill
7:20 (C) The Jesus Lizard
6:10 (A) Yo La Tengo

SATURDAY, JULY 18
8:40 (A) The National
7:25 (C) Beirut
6:15 (A) Doom
5:30 (B) Wavves or 5:15 (C) Yeasayer
4:30 (B) Ponytail
3:20 (C) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
2:30 (A) Fucked Up
1:45 (B) The Dutchess & The Duke
1:00 (A) Cymbals Eat Guitars

SUNDAY, JULY 19
8:40 (A) The Flaming Lips
[someone]
6:30 (B) Vivian Girls
[someone]
4:15 (A) The Thermals
3:20 (C) Pharoahe Monch
2:30 (A) Blitzen Trapper
1:45 (C) Frightened Rabbit

Burns bein' broke [soon]

2009-07-16T13:13:00.001-07:00

Springsteen's coming to town.
Phoenix is coming to town.
Wilco is coming to town.
Son Volt, Dinosaur Jr., Moby, too.
Pitchfork this weekend.
Lollapalooza in three weeks.

So, not broke yet, but it certainly looks like I will be.

I want my MTV

2009-07-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

MTV lists their top albums of the year, and there's overlap with four that were on my list (five, really, since Dinosaur Jr. would make it now). I should stop caring about stuff like what MTV thinks or what Pitchfork thinks, or whatever. Yeah, exactly. Like, y'know, whatever.

Reminders

2009-07-16T00:15:00.000-07:00

Very Truly Yours

Juno and Jupiter

Let the record show:

- Free shows are pretty rad.
- There was a Thax Douglas sighting, but he didn't read, and I don't think he was really into Very Truly Yours
- Juno and Jupiter is worth checking out. They use a xylophone, and a violin. Just knowing that you know they're a winner.
- Very Truly Yours is still really cool. Picked up a copy of their new EP, Reminders. Looking forward to listening.
- By 12:00 there were, maybe, 30 people at the Double Door, and maybe 15 of us were watching the band. It's gonna be one of those nights about which you'll tell your friends when one of the bands ends up selling millions of records. "I SAW THEM FOR FREE AT THE DOUBLE DOOR AND LIKE, NOBODY WAS THERE AND ONLY 10 OF US WERE PAYING ATTENTION!!!1" Now whether either of these bands end up being that band is up for debate, but it would be pretty cool. Sorry for the caps.

Juno and Jupiter
Very Truly Yours

So Quiet, They're Loud

2009-07-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

Criminally omitted from the mid-year best of list...

HaHaTonkaMusic.com
TheirSpace
Bloodshot Records page

Tomorrow, tomorrow

2009-07-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

Very Truly Yours playing a free show at Double Door

Dao Strom playing at Schubas.

Decisions, decisions.

Tonight is Harry Potter. No decisions there.

Sleep on the floor, dream about me

2009-07-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

After seeing this Broken Social Scene video posted on Stereogum, it made me go and dig up when this arrangement performed the song at Lollapalooza in 2006.

I was not as attentive at this concert as I should have been. I was quite late, having stayed for all of Wilco, and I wasn't quite into Stars or Metric at the time (though I did dig Feist, still pre-iPod bump [ASSERTING HIPSTER CREDENTIALS ALERT]), but still, hearing this song live was an incredible experience. After Broken Social Scene finished their criminally short 45 minute set, the Red Hot Chili Peppers made the evening...much worse.

It's just that if me today was me then, I think I would have appreciated it a bit [read: a lot] more. I still don't think I would have really enjoyed the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Broken Social Scene: "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl" at Lollapalooza 2006