Archive for August, 2011

Big Troubles "Misery"

It's so irrational, but I feel as though I should in some way apologizing for liking this so much, as if I should distrust myself a bit for maybe succumbing to some cheap Pavlovian trigger where I just hear alt-rock moves from the mid-90s and go "yes, thanks!" But you know what? In this case, yes, thanks. Every little bit of this song could easily be something I half-remembered from CMJ samplers or 120 Minutes, but it's all put together with great grace. There's a great emotional tension in this too – a desire for hope and pleasure that's so close to breaking through, but it's not fully there. Buy it from Amazon.

Lil Wayne "Nightmares of the Bottom"

I find Lil Wayne most entertaining when he's spilling random rhymes over a booming beat, but this introspective, gentle track suits him well. He's doing some soul-searching here, but I don't think he finds much – he doesn't dig too deep into his fears of losing what he has, and a lot of the lines are fairly boilerplate. There's more in the sound of his voice – a little resigned, a little bemused. He sounds friendly, like he's genuinely confiding with the listener. Even still, the twinkling piano figure carries a lot of the emotional weight, as if he's leaning on mood to project a feeling where his words fail him. Which is fair enough, because that's why we have music in the first place. Buy it from Amazon.

Sandro Perri "Changes"

The title and lyrics to this piece are very appropriate – the composition is constantly mutating and shifting, with new textures and tones coming with every turn. The first time I heard this, I was sucked in right away and found myself hanging on every note as the song unfolded, genuinely surprised by its progress. The wonderful thing about "Changes" is that the changes are never jarring, but feel entire organic and logical from moment to moment. It's like a macro view of your life – sometimes it doesn't seem like much is going on, but with a bit of perspective it can look like a long, rambling non-narrative with all sorts of strange detours and brief phases that add up something you never fully grasp. Pre-order it from Amazon.

The Pharcyde "Otha Fish"

SlimKid3's performance on "Otha Fish" is one of the best I've ever heard on a hip-hop record; virtuoso in its technique, original in its style, and overflowing with raw emotion and bitter wit. He delivers all three verses with a cadence that slips gracefully between rapping and singing, the intricate lines twisting and twirling around a fluid beat, but never winding itself too tight. The third verse is perfection, a stream of brilliant lines - "Now, if there ain't no mountain high enough, why ain't you climbin up?," "I slipped and I tripped into a shoe that didn't fit" - that tumble out with increasing urgency. There's something particularly compelling about the way he utters the phrase "Elizabeth, this is it," as though it marks the song's precise breaking point. Through the whole track, he's right on the edge of falling out of love, but with that line, the feelings are turned off like a light switch. Buy it from Amazon.

Eleanor Friedberger @ Webster Hall 8/22/2011 My Mistakes / Inn of the Seventh Ray / Heaven / "Never Be Happy Again" / Roosevelt Island / Glitter Gold Year / Early Earthquake / "That Was When I Knew" / Scenes from Bensonhurst / I Won't Fall Apart on You Tonight

Eleanor Friedberger "Roosevelt Island"

Eleanor Friedberger's solo debut Last Summer has been slowly becoming one of my favorite albums of the recent past – it's straight forward in its pleasures, but very subtle in its charms. Without the influence of her brother Matthew, Eleanor plays it very straight in concert. The songs are streamlined down to guitar/guitar/bass/drums arrangements, but very little is lost in the translation. There are sturdy, tuneful pieces with a great deal of heart and character. I was skeptical of how much I'd like Eleanor outside the context of the Fiery Furnaces, but as it turns out, I'm very eager for her to continue making solo discs. The two brand new songs in the set were immediately ingratiating, which gives me hope that we'll be getting more from her on her own in the near future. Buy it from Amazon. Deerhunter @ Webster Hall 8/22/2011 Basement Scene / Desire Lines / Hazel Street / Don't Cry / Revival / Little Kids / Memory Boy / Nothing Ever Happened / Cover Me Slowly / Agoraphobia / Spring Hall Convert / Green Fuzz // Helicopter / He Would Have Laughed Deerhunter sound better and more confident every time I see them play. This time around, Bradford Cox hit the stage looking like a 80s teen heartthrob reject, with a hair-gelled pompadour and a sharp polka dot blouse. The band have developed their voice and sound quite a bit since the Cryptograms days – the word "professional" seems like an insult, but frankly, I'm thrilled to hear these guys pushing themselves and evolving into one of today's finest live rock acts.

Deerhunter "He Would Have Laughed" (Live)

I don’t like the word friend very much. Its meaning has been devalued by our culture; in my mind it connotes a positive but mostly superficial relationship, like a more sentimental version of a “buddy.” When people tell me that I am a good friend or something like that, part of me has to remind myself that the person is probably being very sincere and giving me a nice compliment, so I shouldn’t feel insulted or marginalized. The classic values of friendship — of close friendship — are very important to me. I just wish we used better, more precise words to do justice to these kinds of relationships. “Friend” seems so small, trivial, and empty to me. We can do better, especially if we just describe connections with others on the terms of those particular relationships rather than use any one word to describe a wide variety of relationships. “Friend” is the word that rings out most in “He Would Have Laughed,” the final song on Deerhunter’s new album. “I know where my friends are now,” “Where did my friends go?,” “Where do your friends go?” These lines cut to the emotional core of the piece — loneliness, confusion, the self-defeating isolation of someone who keeps everyone at a distance. The song was written in memory of Jay Reatard, who was by most accounts a rather difficult and angry guy. I hear the song as being about the loss of a frustrating person, the kind who shuts you out, rejects your sentimentality, and behaves like an asshole. The kind of person you love and respect in spite of themselves, or how they treat you. I don’t hear judgment, or even grief in this music. All I hear is empathy and kindness. I think this song is a major breakthrough for Bradford Cox and Deerhunter. To my ears, this is their most sophisticated and graceful piece of music. The arpeggiated guitar parts and synthesizer tones in this are almost certainly the most beautiful sounds Cox has set to tape; the way the percussion gently guides us from section to section is subtle and lovely, especially for a band whose drummer is commonly derided as a weak link. “He Would Have Laughed” is as pretty as it is devastating. It seems to stretch out in all directions, follows a tangent into a distinct second movement, and abruptly stops, all in the pursuit of answers to its many questions. The sudden conclusion is the punchline of a cosmic joke. He would have laughed. (Originally posted on 10/6/2010) Buy it from Amazon.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks "Forever 28"

The past few Malkmus albums have been heavy on perspective and sage advice, but the songs on Mirror Traffic are more cranky and restless. He still drops a bit of wisdom here and there – "no one is your perfect fit, I do not believe in that shit" – but he quickly undermines his pragmatism by admitting that he's a contrary buzzkill who can't help but spoil any good time. "Forever 28" is a perky, upbeat number about being snarky and miserable, but it's not making that out to be a virtue. The chorus, which is much bigger and more soaring than what you'd normally get from this guy, cautions that "it just might hurt." It, in this case, is having the generosity of spirit to be open to possibility and not slipping into the comforts of being jaded and negative. And it really can be a comfort – the path of least resistance. This song is pretty sympathetic to that, but it's still trying to shake out of familiar patterns. Buy it from Amazon.

Thundercat "Walkin'"

While I don't necessarily mind Thundercat in instrumental mode, there is just no question that he's at his best when he's working in vocal pop mode. "Walkin'," my favorite track from The Golden Age of the Apocalypse, is an impeccable approximation of ultra-slick 70s mellow funk glamor, with elements that recall the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder and several other greats of the era. It's a spot-on replica of a distinct yet slippery vibe, but it's not merely a genre exercise – there's a genuine emotional spark here. The incredibly sweet and lovey-dovey lyrics may not be especially profound, but it comes out sounding so unguarded. A lot of people can sound direct or heart-on-sleeve, but to do so while seeming so chilled out can take a lot of confidence. Buy it from Amazon.

Beyoncé @ Roseland Ballroom 8/16/2011 I Wanna Be Where You Are - No No No (Parts 1 and 2) - Bugaboo - Bills Bills Bills - Say My Name - Independent Women - Bootylicious - Survivor - 03 Bonnie and Clyde / Crazy in Love / Irreplaceable / Single Ladies / 1+1 / I Care / I Miss You / The Best Thing I Never Had / Party / Rather Die Young / Love on Top / Countdown / End of Time / Run the World (Girls) / I Was Here

Beyoncé "End of Time"

We were close enough to see the nuances in Beyoncé's facial expressions. This is actually pretty crucial, as she makes a lot of amazing faces when she performs. (Maybe you've seen some GIFs?) It was especially great when you could see how awed and bemused she was by the response to a lot of the newer songs, which clearly mean a lot to her. Before she launched into "Countdown" – easily the most crowd-pleasing number in a set that also included "Single Ladies" and "Crazy in Love" – the audience sang the entire countdown part, entirely unprompted. People basically lost their minds when they actually played the song. I was beyond thrilled, as it is without question my favorite song from 2011 so far. The first half of the set was a revue-style medley in which she told the story of her career with a sometimes unintentionally hilarious degree of false modesty. It's sort of strange that she would feel compelled to recap her narrative and sell us on her achievements. Isn't it a bit redundant? It was a given that everyone in the room idolized her. Granted, this concert was filmed for an eventual DVD (or whatever), but I can't imagine there is an audience out there – even those not inclined to enjoy her music – that really needs to be sold on the talent of Beyoncé Knowles. Relax, Bey! Just pummel us with your greatness. It's more than enough. Buy it from Amazon.

The Rapture "It Takes Time To Be A Man"

I do not know the provenance of the piano and bass part that is cut and looped through this composition – it could be a sample, it could be original – but the sound is warm and calming, in part because of the fact that it's DJ'd, produced, recontextualized. I can't remember a time when this sort of sound wasn't being reworked. I'm more attached to this sound in artistic quotation marks than in its original context. (This doesn't have to be entirely about post-hip-hop music, by the way – I have a consistently powerful nostalgic/sensory response to hearing Barbara Acklin's "Am I the Same Girl" entirely because it was used as bed music for a lot of ads on the talk radio I heard as a teenager.) "It Takes Time To Be A Man" has a warm, generous sound that matches the kindness of its words. It's a song of reassurance – you don't grow up all at once; you get what you want and what you need if you work for it; patience is a great virtue. There's a touch of religion in these lyrics – and most of the new Rapture album in general – but the idea of faith put forth in this song isn't a matter of embracing Jesus or looking to God. It's just about holding on to a positive vision of the future and moving toward it, letting it guide you every day toward enlightenment, maturity, success, genuine connection with other people and anything else that could enrich your life. Buy it from Amazon.

Sonic Youth @ Williamsburg Waterfront 8/12/2011 Brave Men Run (In My Family) / Death Valley 69 / Cotton Crown / Kill Yr Idols / Eric's Trip / Sacred Trickster / Calming the Snake / Starfield Road / I Love Her All the Time / Ghost Bitch / Tom Violence / What We Know / Drunken Butterfly // Flower / Sugar Kane /// Psychic Hearts //// Inhuman I have seen Sonic Youth play at least once per year every year since 1995, with the exception of 1999 and 2001. As a result, I have seen the band play pretty much every song in their live repertoire in that time. This show on Friday night was special in that a majority of the selections were either songs I have never seen the band perform, or had not seen them play in many years. It was the first SY gig I've ever seen where I truly had no idea what they would do next, and it was a real thrill. I spent a lot of the show beaming with joy as they played songs I had always wished for ("I Love Her All the Time," "Kill Yr Idols," "Flower"), never expected ("Psychic Hearts," "Brave Men Run," "Ghost Bitch") or hoped would return ("Starfield Road," "Cotton Crown"). I'd been exhausted on hearing the same oldies in recent years, and they went above and beyond all expectations in this show. I hope this is a taste of things to come as they celebrate their 30th anniversary – they have one of the largest and most consistently brilliant back catalogs in all of rock music, and should fully embrace that in concert.

Sonic Youth "Cotton Crown" (Live in Portugal, 1993)

If you look over the setlist, you'll note that the band went very heavy on love songs. (Thurston finished the show by making some parting comment about love, but I can't recall exactly what it was.) "Cotton Crown," always and forever their best love song – and quite possibly the best indie rock love song ever penned – was one of the highlights of the show. Unlike most previous live renditions of the song, Thurston and Kim sang it together as a duet as they do on the studio recording. The beat was also faster and vaguely danceable, lending it a sort of Echo and the Bunnymen-ish quality. When the instrumental break finished and the main melody came back around, I looked over my shoulder at the Manhattan skyline as Thurston sang "New York City is forever kitty / you're wasted in time and I'm never ready" and smiled. Feel free to carve that line couplet on my gravestone.

Sonic Youth "I Love Her All the Time" (Live in Germany 1991)

The sentiment of "Cotton Crown" is sweet and generous; pure affection mitigated by stoned coolness. "I Love Her All the Time," though, is basically starry-eyed infatuation rendered as a horror film soundtrack. Which makes perfect sense, you know?

Sonic Youth "Starfield Road" (Live in Germany 1996)

I had long assumed that this mid-90s setlist staple had disappeared forever after the band lost a lot of equipment back in 1999. I suppose not! They approached this one with a bit of trepidation – they joked that only Mark Ibold knew the chords because he was in the audience back then, which is funny because I didn't realize this song even had proper chords! I would love it if they tried doing more songs along the lines of this one on their next record – atypical structure, groove-based, extremely noisy, all forward momentum without doubling back. The past few Sonic Youth records have been pretty middle-of-the-road; I'd love for them to get back to being this gleefully weird and abrasive.