Swinging London!

So I just got back from a whirlwind trip to London. I was technically there for educational purposes (I was taking a course on e-publishing), but between the tours of libraries, museums and other antiquities I managed to squeeze in a some time for music and music-oriented musings. Here are the highlights:

-I finally saw the Avett Brothers live. Of course it's only logical that my friends and I see a band that excels at crafting twangy Americana when travelling across the pond. This totally ruled for several reasons... A) the crowd was epically friendly and polite (a massive departure from the typical Brooklyn hipster scene I've apparently grown immune to) B) it only cost 10 pounds! (that's like 14 American dollars, a fraction of the price I'd pay to see them in the States, which is like over 30 bucks) C) in a venue a fraction of the size I'd see them here (they're scheduled to play the cavernous Radio City in October). Oh and naturally they sounded great, bounding with energy dressed to the nines in their vests and ties.

-Speaking of vests and ties, Harrods (while terribly overrated in my book) was having a 25% off sale on Etro clothing. For those of you who don't know, that's Mountain Goats' bassist Peter Peter Hughes favorite brand for tour wardrobing. And we can't really blame him despite the high price, the designs are so intricate and the fabric so sumptuous. In other words, I'll take any excuse to post this photo of his vest:

-Being able to identify Tube stops from song, i.e. Mornington Crescent and Waterloo Station. Shout out to Belle & Sebastian and the Kinks!

-Hearing Okkervil River's The Stage Names its ENTIRETY being played in an airport gift shop at Heathrow. Instead of waiting at the gate for my flight, I just loitered in the store and enjoyed hearing one of my favorite album's of 2008 being played in the most random of public spaces. I finally got up the nerve to thank the clerk behind the counter for playing it. We chatted about music for about 10 minutes and he even showed me The Hold Steady tattoo on his index finger, (basically just the words "the hold steady" in lowercase typewriter font). If you happen to find yourself in the HMV in Heathrow's terminal 4, tell the man behind the counter I say hi.

And now the only song I know that references both London AND Libraries:
Swinging London - The Magnetic Fields

You've got to Paste to play ...

So what are your picks for album of the decade? Go tell Paste here: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/08/whats-your-favorite-album-of-the-decade.html

After reviewing their list, mine are as follows:

Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
The Avett Brothers: Emotionalism
Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlantacism
Fountains of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
The Hold Steady: Boys & Girls in America
Iron & Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
Sondre Lerche: Faces Down
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Sun Kil Moon: Ghosts of the Great Highway
Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Check back later for track links and liner notes.

Top 9 Every-men (and Woman) in Rock

Now don't get me wrong, I love the mysterious aura of an eagle-winged Sufjan or the sexed-up disco fantasia of Of Montreal, but sometimes it's refreshing to see a band composed of all-around average guys. Guys that could live next door to you without a hint of pretentious weirdo-ness. These are the rock stars we love that are kinda like us. Sometimes they're unassuming, sometimes they're modest but they always, always wear jeans on stage.

9. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco
Ok, disregard the killer migraines, the past addictions, the diva-licious falling out with bandmates and you have a really average guy who writes songs that are anything but. Also remember that scene in I Am Trying to Break Your Heart where he asks his wife for money to feed the kids while waiting in line at Wendys. That alone puts him on this list.

8. Jens Lekman
Do guys get more humble then this? His shy smile and aw-shucks demeanor, not to mention all-inclusive after parties put him on this list. Following their concerts, how many pop stars invite the entire audience to a house party in Brooklyn? By putting fans first he essentially denounces his celebrity and affirms his every-man status. Plus we get to dance the night away at the same time!

7. John Vanderslice
By far the happiest, friendliest, sweetest guy on the list. Like Jens he obliterates the line between artist and audience. Chances are if you've seen him live you've also been hugged by him. Just an unbelievably down-to-earth and cheery stand-up dude.

6. Eddie Argos of Art Brut
Just listen to the lyrics of "DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshakes". Nuff said.

5. Bruce Springsteen
Ok, so he's a mega-superstar BUT he somehow maintains his working class cred by touring his ass off and maintaining his New Jersey roots. We should thank him for showing the kids that real rock stars aren't assholes.

4. Ted Leo
The political punker totally rocks, but he's also totally humble, appreciative and downright right ordinary when it comes to his personal life and dealing with fans. Just check out this photo of him and VK's Lizzie. It pretty much says it all:
3. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver
Dude lived in a cabin in Wisconsin and endured a shit-ton of heartbreak. That's about as every-man as it gets.

2. Ira, James and Georgia of Yo La Tengo
These Jersey natives are completely unassuming and completely ageless. They could be your next door neighbor. Hell for some of you young'ens they could be your parents. So causal and so casually cool, they wear jeans and striped t-shirts on stage. Except underneath their ultra-normal exterior lies their secret power - the power of rock. And rock they do.

1. Craig Finn (and really the rest of the members of The Hold Steady except for Franz Nicholay's mustache)
Do dudes get anymore dude-ier than them? I mean they formed a band as an excuse to jam once a week, down a few beers and escape the wives. And in turn wrote some of the best straight-up rock albums this decade. For that we salute you.

Now some songs:
Flume - Bon Iver
Me and Mia - Ted Leo
Fetal Horses - John Vanderslice

The Hold Steady @ The Starland Ballroom Sayerville, NJ 7/24/09

Given my proximity to NYC, it's almost unforgivable that it took me four years to see The Hold Steady live. Considering they play the metro area as frequently as VH1 re-airs Flavor of Love, and half the time the gigs are free no less. But sometimes life has a way of getting in the way of concert-going and man is it lame when such issues occur.

And so it took until last week before I caught Craig Finn and company rock, in the most literal sense. The diversity of the crowd -frat boys, hipsters, aging classic rock aficionados and me, the boyfriend and gathering of friends- all sang along in a celebration of the joys and pains of youth and booze. It was a massive night indeed.


Bonus Spotting: outside the Wawa (the world's best convenience/sandwich store and a New Jersey institution) following the show a super-wasted teenager was wearing a white t-shirt that had "Boys Go For Looks" sharpee-d on the front and "Girls Go for Status" scrawled on the back. We approve.

Set List

Most People are DJ's
Constructive Summer
Hot Soft Light
Girls Like Status
The Swish
Navy Sheets
Banging Camp
Charlemagne
Massive Nights
Party Pit
Don't Let Me Explode
Sequestered in Memphis
Stevie Nix
Yeah Sapphire
You Can Make Him Like You
Discouraged
Hornets! Hornets!
Southtown Girls
Your Little Hoodrat Friend

Encore

Stay Positive
Stuck Between Stations
Chips Ahoy
Slapped Actress

P.S. How do you know you're at a Hold Steady concert in NJ? Right after the band was done playing "Thunder Road" came on the PA and the ENTIRE audience sang along. Then midway through, the speakers cut out in attempt to break up the crowd and get people to leave. Nope. We stayed put and actually finished singing it in all its Springsteenian glory. Damn the dirty Jerz never ceases to impress me.

Constructive Summer - The Hold Steady
Atlantic City - The Hold Steady (Bruce Springsteen cover)

So here's the deal

The charger to my laptop broke so I can't update from there (which is a shame since that's where all the music is). So I'm on the boyfriend's computer right now. We had a rocking good time at The Hold Steady show last night (our ears are still ringing... ringing with awesomeness). Also Franz's mustache is a thing of many wonders. Photos and set list to come, when I get the lappy fixed.

In the meantime enjoy my interview with The Boy Least Likely To up on Crawdaddy. I chatted with lead singer Jof Owen via email about their new album, what it means to be twee, the English countryside, and “the most rubbish cartoon superhero ever invented.” He really is a thoughtful, articulate guy. Cute too.

"Our conversations are like minefields. No one's found a safe way through one yet"

File this one under one of my favorite bands covering one of my other favorite bands. Check out The Hold Steady's take on the Mountain Goats "Southwood Plantation Road". I love, love, love the way Craig Finn slurs the "La, La, La's". It' so (drunkenly?) epic.


EDIT - We have the mp3, thanks to Bill!

Southwood Plantation Road - The Hold Steady (the Mountain Goats cover)

Top Albums of 2008, #15-26

Apologies this is coming in so late. Blame the weather.

Last year sucked. Thankfully, the music didn't. Our picks were all over the map for the most part, but are winners are clear. Here's what we liked, graded with a weighted system of points. We're breaking our picks into two posts. This post is the second half of our list. the top half will be posted later.

Album names are buy links. Please support the artists you like by purchasing their music. We do!

Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
By the most casual and freewheeling of the all the Jews’ albums, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea still retains David Berman’s trademark caustic witticisms. He’s just a little more relaxed this time around.
Suffering Jukebox.mp3

Coldplay - Viva La Vida
"This is just simply amazing pop, everything you ever loved about Coldplay, but with the trademark Brian Eno twist. There are dancing strings, powerful vocals and a piano line that keeps building and building." - Cameron Adams
Strawberry Swing.m4a

Rook – Shearwater
A gothic yet baroque tapestry woven together with an eclectic array of horns, woodwinds, and dulcimer, not to mention Jonathon Meiburg’s sexy vocal prowess.

Rooks.mp3

Dr. Dog – Fate
"Strict modernists may chafe at the band's unapologetically backward-glancing aesthetic, but the rest should happily succumb to the shaggy charm of Fate's easy-like-Sunday-morning ramblings." - Leah Grenblatt
The Rabbit, The Bat, and The Reindeer.mp3

Flight of the Conchords (s/t)
Leggy Blonde.m4a

Human Highway - Moody Motorcycle
"Opening with a swatch of lo-fi backwoods guitar, the duo merely jests with the antiquated before smoothing everything over with a sheen of crisp production. A spring in its step, “The Sound” bops along, oblivious to the lack of substance in its lyric." - Josh Constine
The Sound.mp3

Death Cab for Cutie- Narrow Stairs
"While Narrow Stairs may scale down the melody-assaults of previous efforts, with their fresh groove and whiff of rebellion, Death Cab announce themselves as genuine rock stars." -The Guardian (UK)
Your New Twin-Sized Bed.m4a

Los Campesinos! -Hold on Now, Youngster...
A cheeky British romp that’s equal parts snark and sincerity, it’s a whirlwind of rocking, glockenspiel, pun-laden fun.
You! Me! Dancing!.mp3

Conor Oberst (s/t)
"It's no surprise that Oberst is able to pull off this style exceptionally well, but what impresses most about the record is how its relaxed vibe--the album was recorded with the specially assembled Mystic Valley Band in just two months at a private house in Mexico--carries over into Oberst's songwriting." --Jonathan Keefe
Cape Canaveral.mp3

Jukebox the Ghost - Let Live & Let Ghosts

"Sounds like a sort of amped-up Ben Folds record, with bouncier piano and more liberal doses of electric jubilation. Serving as an excellent introduction to an incredibly fun new group, this debut rekindles the joy of sing-along pop without sounding dorky or forced." - Jordan Richardson
Under My Skin.m4a

Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
I didn’t even know Dan Rossen was in another band besides Grizzly Bear. But apparently he is and apparently his side project is nearly as good. In Ear Park abounds with enough eerie harmonies and codeine-coated melodies to keep you satisfied well until the follow-up to Yellow House is released.
No One Does It Like You.mp3

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
"Stay Positive is a true testament that good music will always prevail. One can only hope that a band like this will continue to make music for years and years to come because we desperately need it." - Adequacy
Sequestered In Memphis.mp3

Top 26 Songs of 2008 (Jess Edition, Part 1)

Here's my list of fave songs of the year. Stay tuned for the other gals' lists of songs. And then check back at the end of the month for our cumulative top albums list.

26. Mykonos – Fleet Foxes
This is the song that convinced that Fleet Foxes were waaaaay more then Grizzly Bear-lite. Swelling harmonies and tribal rhythms rarely sound this compelling.

25.Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) – Gnarls Barkley
It’s all in the little “woos” and “las”. Simultaneously menacing and dizzyingly fun.

24. Slapped Actress – The Hold Steady
With this song, The Hold Steady finally managed to become epic. Massive crescendos, lots of “woah woah woah-ing” and Craig Finn’s as-always urgent delivery work in perfect unison.

23. Pieces of You – Islands
Ultra-bouncy and deceptively intricate song that bubbles its way into full-fledged orchestral grandeur.

22. Another Day – Jamie Lidell
The sunniest single Motown never released (by a British white boy, no less).

21. Too Drunk to Dream – The Magnetic Fields
The title says it all –a bitingly witty (and boozy) ode to my two favorite verbs.

20. Chasing Pavements – Adele
While most of the British neo-soul songstress’ debut album errs a bit on the sleepy side for my taste, this song just explodes once it hits the chorus. Heartbreak rarely sounds as bombastic as it feels.

19. The Crook of My Good Arm –Pale Young Gentlemen
Theatrical crooning, a clanging bell and one of the catchiest choruses I’ve heard all year (RUN! RUN!) make for an awesomely frantic song - from a damn-underappreciated band at that.

18. Dying is Fine – Ra Ra Riot
e. e. cummings’ poetry and rocking cello make for an epic combination.

17. Heart of Chambers – Beach House
Victoria Legrand, oh my, your voice! Oh my, this song! Where does it come from? I’m thinking it’s gotta be from some otherworldly realm where Nico and woozy organ drones collided to form a black hole of exponential melancholy.

16. Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear (Live on Letterman)
It’s a bit more sprightly then their usual hazy-as-codeine sound. And by that I mean it has a lot of bouncy keyboards. Yet it still retains the haunting-as-fuck aesthetic of anything they’ve ever recorded. In other words, it’s the sound of a group howling at the moon while dancing in its light.

15. Raincoat Song – The Decemberists
Songs about rain and loneliness are by no means a rare thing and Colin Meloy manages to breathe a breath of fresh air into the fowl weather canon with a sparse acoustic melody and wistful lyricism. “You sleep like a spinster and you’re twenty-eight/ you’ve been thinking late, you couldn’t catch a cold” Sadly, some of can relate.

14. Id Engager – Of Montreal
Sure the album, was a bit choppy (and let’s face it, nothing’s gonna top last year’s Hissing Fauna) BUT we’re talking about songs here and as far as songs go, you don’t much more audaciously sexually playful then this (unless of course you’re Prince). Kevin Barnes coos out from a jungle of swooping synths and a self-proclaimed “phalocentric tyranny”. Baby, I’ll play with you any day!

Stay tuned for the final 13 songs later in the week...

Rock and Roll Means Well

So last weekend, after taking the kidlets trick-or-treating and stashing them at the Oma's house, the Resident Photographer and I headed north to Tallahassee to see two of our favorite bands perform together at The Moon. He's more of a Drive-By Truckers type, while I'm a Hold Steady girl through-and-through. Neither of us was disappointed. (Okay, I was a *little* disappointed, see comments.)

The DBT's played first, but both bands played full sets. They appear to be alternating the rotation depending on where they're playing. THS opened in the DBT's native Georgia, but I daresay they'll "headline" both of the upcoming dates in Minneapolis. I'd hate to spoil the highlights for those of you who are going to see future dates and want to be surprised, as I did, so see the comments for encore details. Or! if you don't mind the spoilers, you could enjoy this video, not from our night, not taken by me:

We also stimulated the local economy by buying a ridiculous amount of CDs at Vinyl Fever, an independent music store that is neither dead nor dying, which you should really check out if you ever find yourself Tallahassee (or Tampa) way. It's not my favorite music store in Florida - that honor goes to Park Avenue CDs in Orlando - but it's close.

P.S. If the message of this post was not clear, it is the following: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GO SEE THIS SHOW. YOU WILL BE HAPPY YOU DID.

excuses and half-truths and fortified wine

Several years ago, I was introduced to the Hold Steady by an old high school friend as follows:

"You'll like it. You were Catholic, right?"

And it certainly is true that Craig Finn draws on the rites and passages of the Catholic church like few other indie/mainstream artists do. It's all Catholicism and drugs for the Hold Steady boys, and addled nostalgia. On tape, Finn is like the mean-but-tortured boyfriend from 10 years ago whom you couldn't quite break away from even after you broke up. On stage, he is a completely different animal, absurdly pleased with his own verbal tics and foibles, with a look Our Local Photographer described as "my accountant turned rock star."

"Stay Positive," like the previous three albums, continues the balls-to-the-wall barroom rocker tradition that earned the Hold Steady the "classic rock for indie kids" designation from Our Man in Tanzania, and Holly does make an appearance, in case you were worried that she might be written out.

"One for the Cutters" employs a harpsichord, something you'd be more likely to find on a Decemberists album than a Hold Steady album, and to great effect. The content of the song reminds me of a recent local tragedy where two high school kids were tortured and ultimately killed by a half-dozen more after being called to come over to a "party" at one of the big empty houses in one of our more wasteland-esque suburbs, made so by the crash of the property market. The story "One for the Cutters" tells is not that story, but it is a similar one, a story of the sociopath-ization (if you will) of youth.

I would be lying if I didn't admit that it's a rare band that still has me enthralled four albums in, but the Hold Steady is that band. The album has enough emo* hooks, e.g., in "Lord, I'm Discouraged," which features one of many ripping guitar solos by Tad Kubler, and in the last track, "Untitled," a not-to-be-missed mash-up of three or four unfinished songs. Oh, and J. Mascis shows up on banjo on a brutal but quiet little number called "Both Crosses," for those of you who might care.



We saw them try out "Stay Positive" (the track) in January when we snuck up to Ybor City for a secret show, and it rocks even harder live than it does on the album. This band has a core fan base (seen here) that Finn (at far left) is probably referring to when he sings, "because the kids at our shows, they'll have kids of their own." They were a more diverse group of people than I would have expected to see, certainly, and I hope "Slapped Actress," a very self-aware piece about what it's like to be the ones on stage, wasn't entirely about that night ...

The bottom line is this: if you really liked the Hold Steady already, you will really like this album. If you didn't, what's wrong with you? give them a try, and then go get the album. It's at the big boxes for $9.99, and it is totally worth your hard-earned American dollars.

Lord, I'm Discouraged.mp3
Stay Positive.mp3

*I am too old (36) to really understand what that word means, so I use it to describe anything that makes me feel intensely nostalgic, or sad, or emotional... which may be exactly what it means, but, as I said, I don't know...

Brooding Music You Can Dance To

It was hot. That’s what I remember most vividly about the day. The kind of heat that makes the air shimmer and the top of your head burn. And it was still only ten in the morning. The line stretched out ahead of us, the steady whump thump of bass audible under the excited chatter of the crowd.

It was 2006 and this was Big Day Out, Australia’s largest music festival. My boyfriend and I were there to see The White Stripes, but they weren’t hitting the stage for another 12 hours or so. We had more than a little time to kill.

But have you ever tried wandering around in 40 degree weather? (That’s about 100 degrees farenheit, my American friends.) It’s not a lot of fun, and even less so when half naked drunken guys are running around like tripping ferrets.

So bought some festival priced (read, overpriced) chips and found a shady spot with a view of the two main stages, and settled in. How many bands did we see that day? I remember the big ones of course; Franz Ferdinand, Wolfmother, and on account of their scary as all hell fans I’ll never forget Mudvayne. But it was the first act of the day who sticks in my mind after all this time. They barely had a crowd at all, and their stage wasn’t sporting a fancy backdrop like the other bands, but it didn’t seem to worry them. The lead singer took the stage, nodded and said hello, and got right into it.

It took about twenty seconds for me to be hooked, and by forty I was making a note in my phone of their name, so as to be able to buy any albums by them the next day.

The band was Faker, a five piece Sydney band, who had been around for ten years before I saw them on that stage.

The next day, sunburnt, sleepy and cranky, I made Martin stop on the way back to our country hometown so I could by their debut album, “Addicted Romantic.”

The album is dark, but with a core of desperate optimism. Masterfully crafted pop rock tracks sidled up next to darker, more alternative tracks, and the album quickly became a personal favourite. Lead singer Nathan Hudson has a unique voice which gets compared a lot to Alex whatshisname from Franz Ferdinand, and this alone would set the band apart from the plethora of other Australian five piece rock bands. But they don’t have to rely on his pipes, the melodies and stellar lyrics ensure Faker don’t get lumped with their peers.

The Familiar
I can’t wait to see your face, its been too long since I’ve been in your space

Love For Sale
Go on, love the one that you're with. I'm calling this a state of emergency.

A week or so ago the band released their sophomore album, “Be The Twilight.” It is everything a good second release should be. The growth and change are obvious, but they have not forgotten everything that made “Addicted Romantic” so great. The band experiment with new instruments and sounds, but don’t abandon the catchy choruses they are so skilled at. The darkness of the first album has not completely left the band, but ‘Twilight’ definitely has a lighter sound. What struck me very quickly about this album was that it had a Hold Steady-ish feel about it. Hudson’s vocals approach the singing/speaking thing Craig Finn does so damn well, but he never quit reaches that point. I suspect he’d be able to pull it off, though he sounds nothing like Finn. His voice lends itself to the style (have I mentioned I really like his voice?). He comes closest to it on “Lost and Found,” one of my early favorites.

Are You Magnetic?
Do you land in the right place?

Don't Hide
You were struck at a very young age by the light...

Seriously though, few bands can write choruses like these guys. Check em out.

"Certain songs, they get so scratched into our souls..."

It's always fascinating to hear your favorite songwriters discuss the writing process, especially when that writer writes gritty stories of druggy adolescent angst with impeccable narrative structure and novelistic detail. Last Thursday I had the pleasure of watching an interview with the The Hold Steady's Craig Finn at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square, New York, alongside Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. While at first glance an African novelist and an American rocker might not seem to have that much in common, however, it soon became apparent that both writers had to leave home in order to write more clearly about it. It's also worth noting that puberty's a bitch regardless of geographic location.

During the chat, Finn explained how writing a song is like completing a crossword puzzle. Once you get the long answer down the middle, all the shorter, peripheral answers easily fall into place. He also recalled how he taped that now infamous Kerouac line to his wall ("boys and girls in America have such a sad time together") and how he referred to it every time he suffered writer's block. He followed the conversation up with acoustic renditions of "Certain Songs" and "Arms and Hearts", an outtake that never made the final version of last year's fantastic Boys and Girls in America.

Certain Songs - The Hold Steady