Pitchfork: Half Way

I got back from Chicago yesterday afternoon, after catching the Pitchfork Pre-Show and the Day 1 festivities. Sadly, I couldn’t stay for (the best) Day 2, due to an engagement back in KY, but Connor was there and has all the coverage you could ever ask for. As for the first day… I’ll give you a little synopsis of what you’ve missed. I’m going to keep it really short, since Connor has more coverage to come plus every other blog in the world will have coverage.

Pitchfork was fun.

While I’m sure Day 2 would’ve increased my experience ten fold, the Pre-Show and Day 1 were still very enjoyable. This trip marked the first “real life” encounter of Connor and I (go on and scratch your heads/chuckle), but it won’t be the last. If we ended up hating each other in person, it could’ve meant the end of IGIF (not really). It was a ton of fun hanging out, talking about random things, and our lame quest involving getting had by a random pan-handler and walking around aimlessly downtown.

The scorching 98 degree weather made for an interesting Day 1, where I sweated so much I was half-expecting to start sweating blood and other vital body fluids. The Mountain Goats were terrific. Darnielle had an extremely enjoyable sense of humor accompanied by an awkward stage presence that I’ve never seen any other musician display. While their setlist was nearly flawless, Destroyer was (by far) my favorite act of the day. His unique voice and beautiful lyrics made me wonder why I hadn’t appreciated him prior to his performance. An energized set by Ted Leo was another highlight for me. The fact that he hit himself in the forehead with his mic, making him bleed, was enough to convince me that (even at 35) he’s still a rock champion.

[MP3] Destroyer – European Oils
[MP3] Destroyer – Painter In Your Pocket

Perhaps I only saw Day 1 as mediocre due to an awesome Pre-Show. Sunset Rubdown played better than the three times I’d seen Wolf Parade. Their energy is untamed and a live show only glorifies their record. They were a few bars short of sensational, in my book. Be sure to read more about the Pre-Show via Connor’s impressions.

So, would I do Pitchfork all over again? Probably.. But only if my idea for a feast happens next time around.

Seriously, guys. Blogger Feast? Blogger Summit? 2007?

New TBAN!, "Open Us Up"

Thunderbirds Are Now! have a new album coming out on October 3rd, Make History. The title’s a bit presumptious, but I guess time will tell whether it’s a statement of success or a laughable failure. For now, I’ll consider it suffixed with a question mark. I must say, however, after a few listens, the album sounds promising. One can only handle so much breezey, twee summer pop before they start crapping agonious rainbows and reciting Bambi…it’s good to have a new screech-rock album to funk out to. With songs like the following, I can see myself on an intravenous TBAN! drip for a little while:

[MP3] Thunderbirds Are Now! – Open Us Up
Beginning with a twittering, sporadic piano flutter, this song quickly jumps into a full out brawl of heavy synth, thrashing guitars, sharp lyrics, and a catchy chorus. This is definitely a high point of the album, Make History’s concert crasher; the song the band’ll probably play live after a new song to get the crowd pumped up again. Nothing says “TBAN is BACK” nearly as aptly as “Open Us Up.”

YANP has one more new one!
The Hype Machine probably has a couple more too
Preorder Make History at Insound now!

Bonus MP3:

This song has nothing to do with TBAN!, it’s just something that’s been stuck in my head forever, so I’m sharing it in hopes that maybe if it gets stuck in enough of your heads, it’ll dissipate in mine…maybe?

[MP3] Zion I – Yes Yes (w/ Gift of Gab & Lyrics Born)

sidenote

Chris GvB posted on Duplomacy! We pimped these guys back in June…because they’re freaking awesome. I say they sound like a perfect mix of Weezer and “pre-suck Death Cab” (as Chris correctly puts it). Check out this song, then hit up his site for 2 more:

[MP3] Duplomacy – Stay Up Late

also

If you didn’t get a chance to hit up Pitchfork Fest, definitely head over to Good Hodgkins who took some amazingly sharp photos of a good majority of the bands. When pressed at the gate by event staff about his camera, he wittingly retorted “How can a camera be “professional” if it’s bought at CompUSA?” Well played, Ryan, well played.

Repost: Neon Invasion

“Neon Invasion”
by
Connor McGlynn
Jethro, another “wasted youth” product of London’s increasingly itchy urinary tract, is chatting with Bret-with-one-t-Bret. A homeless man is slumped over in the background, gnawing at tin can labeled Neon Plastix.

Bret: ‘ave you been keepin’ in check with the hype?

Jethro: Aye mate, it’s a bit maddening though, innit? They’ve a new DIY, a new hard-to-impress, a new diamond in the rough…but nuffin’ I can identify with, you know?

Bret: I know what you mean, mate. I’ve about worn out me copy of LCD Soundsystem..

Jethro: You know I was just finkin’ the other day…what we need is somefin’ sharp, somefin’ bold, you know, somefin’ not afraid to piss a few blokes off, take some chances, grind some gears-

Bret: Somefin’ I can dance to…but angrily-like.

Jethro: Yeah…somefin’ with edge.

Suddenly, a metalic puncture noise is heard as the homeless man manages to crack open his can. A shreiking explosion sends metal shards into the homeless man’s face and eyes. As he lays there bleeding, blind, screaming, from the can’s shredded shell steps 5 tiny, shrill youths dressed in neon 80’s throwback shwag. A sound, faint at first but growing in intensity, follows them as they tread away from Jethro and Bret, who stare limber from across the street, Bret not even noticing the smell of burnt flesh from Jethro’s cigarette which has begun to singe his fingers, nor Jethro noticing the insatiable pain. Six hours later the two boys still stand, the blood from the dead man now having reached the soles of their shoes. Stunned as they were, not from violence, not from inconceivable impossibility, but from the once deafening euphoria that had invaded their ear drums, now just a piercing ring fading into the night.

[MP3] Neon Plastix – Neon Invasion

Bonus MP3:

[MP3] Neon Plastix – Prick Tease

Decemberists Announce Fall US Tour

I can’t believe that The Decemberists already have a new album finished…it boggles the mind, seriously. Expectations are deservedly high, as this marks the major-label debut follow up to last year’s remarkable Picaresque. So the idea that they’ve produced something as good as or, dare I say, better than that album in such a short period of time would be an astounding feat. I’ll get my first taste of the new album as soon as tomorrow (yessssss), so look forward to a follow up. Until then, here are some dates to wet yourselves over in anticipation:

Oct. 17, 18 – Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
Oct. 19 – Warfield Theater, San Francisco, CA
Oct. 21 – The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 22 – Rialto Theater, Tuscon, AZ
Oct. 24 – Stubb’s, Austin, TX
Oct. 25 – Gypsy Ballroom, Dallas, TX
Oct. 26 – House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
Oct. 27 – Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
Oct. 29, 30 – 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.
Oct. 31 – Calvin Theater, Northampton, MA
Nov. 1 – Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 3 – Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY
Nov. 4 – Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA <– I’ll be there!
Nov. 5 – Metropolis, Montreal, CANADA
Nov. 4 – Kool Haus, Toronto, CANADA
Nov. 7 – Clutch Cargo, Pontiac, MI
Nov. 9 – Agora Theater, Cleveland, OH
Nov. 10 – Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, Columbus, OH
Nov. 11 – Riviera Theater, Chicago, IL
Nov. 12 – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 14 – Paramount Theater, Denver, CO
Nov. 16 – Wilma Theater, Missoula, MT
Nov. 17 – Paramount Theater, Seattle, WA
Nov. 18 – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, CANADA

[MP3] The Decemberists – July, July!

Bonus MP3:

[MP3] The Decemberists – Clementine (Elliott Smith Cover) from the To: Elliott, From: Portland compilation (buy it here)

Mates of State, Starlight Mints announce tour

Mates of State will be headlining a 2+ week tour in continuous support of their 2006 release, Bring It Back, on which they did exactly that. The album is great, if you haven’t heard it. Opening for them are labelmates Starlight Mints, who are also supporting a 2006 release, Drowaton. This will be a pretty fantastic, fun show, undoubtledly… Mates of State are known for their high-intensity shows, as are the mints. Plus, I’d kill to see “Rhino Stomp” performed live. Here are the dates:

Sept. 13 – Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Sept. 14 – Pearl Street, Northampton, MA
Sept. 15 – Main Hall, Montreal, CANADA
Sept. 16 – Lee?s Palace, Toronto, CANADA
Sept. 17 – Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI
Sept. 18 – The House Café, Deklab, IL
Sept. 19 – The Maintenance Shop, Ames, IA
Sept. 20 – Kirby Ballroom at UMN Duluth, Duluth, MN
Sept. 21 – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Sept. 22 – Orpheum Stage Door, Madison, WS
Sept. 23 – Legends of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Sept. 24 -Mr Small?s Theatre, Millville, PA
Sept. 25 – Satellite Ballroom, Charlottesville, VA
Sept. 27 – State Theatre, Falls Church, VA
Sept. 28 – The Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA
Sept. 30 – Irving Plaza, New York, NY

Here are a few songs to fall in love with (both highly rec’d):

[MP3] Mates of State – Like U Crazy
[MP3] Starlight Mints – What’s Inside Of Me?

Bonus MP3:

So I just finished listening to the new Bonnie “Prince” Billy album, and right after it was done this track came on (in iTunes)…and I remembered how much I love it. Ahh, iTunes, thank you.

[MP3] Bonobo – Flutter

Review: Pitchfork Opening Night Party

After a foolishly spitballed decision to walk from some random subway stop on Addison St. over to Metro, which we knew was somewhere on Clark St., and after walking what must have been at least a few miles in 85 degree night weather, Nathaniel and I hit up a cabbie to drop us off at the venue, where Pitchfork was having its pre-festival show with Sunset Rubdown, Voxtrot, The Joggers, and a few comedians. We were a bit late, showing up at the end of the comedians’ runs (Aziz Ansari, who I was pretty much dying to see, got caught up in a black hole somewhere in NYC and couldn’t make it). We also missed The Joggers, who probably would have done a much better job welcoming us to this glorious city than Voxtrot did. I mean, they’re ok, a little too twee for me, like Arctic Monkeys if they grew up with abandonment issues instead of money and sex. I did have a lot of fun watching their bassist though…he’s got more Paul McCartney going on than Paul himself (same guitar and haircut and Mr. Bean-like presence).

By the time Sunset Rubdown came on, we’d finished mingling with a few bloggers and I was looking forward to a show that would lessen my concentration on backpain and foot sores and more on a spectacle onstage. Spencer and his band completely delivered. I was a bit on the skeptical side, because I see SR as a kind of toned-down Wolf Parade, but literally every song was a knockout. There are a few songs on Shut Up I Am Dreaming that I like and have listened to frequently, but their performance Friday night egged me to give the album a few more spins (6 and counting, actually). Spencer’s voice, while sometimes stretched too far, will never get old for me. That, and his band mate’s frenetic guitar playing, and his lyricism, and the band’s style–everything– make this album, and this show, one of the best I’ve heard/seen all year. SR’s performance was definitely a highlight of the festival. Check out some photos I snapped:

They played a few awesome new songs…and one that mysteriously sounded, slighly, like a new (live) Wolf Parade song called “Things I Don’t Know” that I posted a while ago. There was a similar beat and a few similar lyrics… I always wondered how songwriters write for side projects, and whether they’ll interchangeably use songs between bands. I guess Spencer does, if I’m right about the borrowed music. Anyway, here’s my new favorite Sunset Rubdown song:

[MP3] Sunset Rubdown – I’m Sorry I Sang On Your Hands That Have Been In The Grave

Bonus MP3:

[MP3] Wolf Parade – Things I Don’t Know (new live song)

I’ll have a Photo Diary of the first day of the festival for you tomorrow morning, and then another one the next day, along with other festival commentary and photos and whatnot. Fun stuff, to be sure. More to come as I sit here alone in my $60/night O’Hare Airport Hilton, sipping on $7 mini-fridge cocktails and $3 airline-grade mini-packs of peanuts. Rock on.

Review: Pitchfork Opening Night Party

After a foolishly spitballed decision to walk from some random subway stop on Addison St. over to Metro, which we knew was somewhere on Clark St., and after walking what must have been at least a few miles in 85 degree night weather, Nathaniel and I hit up a cabbie to drop us off at the venue, where Pitchfork was having its pre-festival show with Sunset Rubdown, Voxtrot, The Joggers, and a few comedians. We were a bit late, showing up at the end of the comedians’ runs (Aziz Ansari, who I was pretty much dying to see, got caught up in a black hole somewhere in NYC and couldn’t make it). We also missed The Joggers, who probably would have done a much better job welcoming us to this glorious city than Voxtrot did. I mean, they’re ok, a little too twee for me, like Arctic Monkeys if they grew up with abandonment issues instead of money and sex. I did have a lot of fun watching their bassist though…he’s got more Paul McCartney going on than Paul himself (same guitar and haircut and Mr. Bean-like presence).

By the time Sunset Rubdown came on, we’d finished mingling with a few bloggers and I was looking forward to a show that would lessen my concentration on backpain and foot sores and more on a spectacle onstage. Spencer and his band completely delivered. I was a bit on the skeptical side, because I see SR as a kind of toned-down Wolf Parade, but literally every song was a knockout. There are a few songs on Shut Up I Am Dreaming that I like and have listened to frequently, but their performance Friday night egged me to give the album a few more spins (6 and counting, actually). Spencer’s voice, while sometimes stretched too far, will never get old for me. That, and his band mate’s frenetic guitar playing, and his lyricism, and the band’s style–everything– make this album, and this show, one of the best I’ve heard/seen all year. SR’s performance was definitely a highlight of the festival. Check out some photos I snapped:

They played a few awesome new songs…and one that mysteriously sounded, slighly, like a new (live) Wolf Parade song called “Things I Don’t Know” that I posted a while ago. There was a similar beat and a few similar lyrics… I always wondered how songwriters write for side projects, and whether they’ll interchangeably use songs between bands. I guess Spencer does, if I’m right about the borrowed music. Anyway, here’s my new favorite Sunset Rubdown song:

[MP3] Sunset Rubdown – I’m Sorry I Sang On Your Hands That Have Been In The Grave

Bonus MP3:

[MP3] Wolf Parade – Things I Don’t Know (new live song)

I’ll have a Photo Diary of the first day of the festival for you tomorrow morning, and then another one the next day, along with other festival commentary and photos and whatnot. Fun stuff, to be sure. More to come as I sit here alone in my $60/night O’Hare Airport Hilton, sipping on $7 mini-fridge cocktails and $3 airline-grade mini-packs of peanuts. Rock on.

Futureheads B-Sides

Pitchfork Day 1 just ended. The highlights by far were Destroyer, Ted Leo/Rx, Matmos, Mountain Goats, The Walkmen, and these guys, The Futureheads. While Nathaniel and I are resting and prepping for Day 2, enjoy these Futureheads b-sides and rarities from throughout their career:

The Futureheads released an EP (more like a single) of their song Area, from News And Tributes, and a couple b-sides along with it. I tossed in a few lesser known demos/b-sides as well, just for you:

[MP3] The Futureheads – Help Us Out
[MP3] The Futureheads – We Cannot Lose
[MP3] The Futureheads – Ticket
[MP3] The Futureheads – Stupid And Shallow (Early Demo)
[MP3] The Futureheads – Park Inn
[MP3] The Futureheads – Piece Of Crap
[MP3] The Futureheads – Balsch
[MP3] The Futureheads – Last Time Ever
[MP3] The Futureheads – Decent Days And Nights (Shy Child Remix)

Bonus MP3:

[MP3] The Streets – Fit But You Know It (w/ The Futureheads)

Goodnight all…

Futureheads B-Sides

Pitchfork Day 1 just ended. The highlights by far were Destroyer, Ted Leo/Rx, Matmos, Mountain Goats, The Walkmen, and these guys, The Futureheads. While Nathaniel and I are resting and prepping for Day 2, enjoy these Futureheads b-sides and rarities from throughout their career:

The Futureheads released an EP (more like a single) of their song Area, from News And Tributes, and a couple b-sides along with it. I tossed in a few lesser known demos/b-sides as well, just for you:

[MP3] The Futureheads – Help Us Out
[MP3] The Futureheads – We Cannot Lose
[MP3] The Futureheads – Ticket
[MP3] The Futureheads – Stupid And Shallow (Early Demo)
[MP3] The Futureheads – Park Inn
[MP3] The Futureheads – Piece Of Crap
[MP3] The Futureheads – Balsch
[MP3] The Futureheads – Last Time Ever
[MP3] The Futureheads – Decent Days And Nights (Shy Child Remix)

Bonus MP3:

[MP3] The Streets – Fit But You Know It (w/ The Futureheads)

Goodnight all…

The Bens EP

Repost? Yes. Gotta have something (great) to listen too while we’re at Pitchfork.

I remember searching for this EP for the longest time last year. It seemed nearly impossible to find, with all of the downloadable files somehow being corrupted. For the most part, everyone just thought it was some urban legend or hopeful myth. But no! I finally got the full EP at the beginning of 2005, and although it’s only 4 tracks it is an awesome collection of songs.

You may like to know what hard-to-find EP I was talking about. Well, in 2004 Ben Folds, Ben Lee, and Ben Kweller all joined forces to make an EP under the aptly named band: The Bens. When you look at all three artists involved in this process, its really easy to see what each of them could bring to the table and just how good of a sound they could make together. Here are Ben Lee’s thoughts on the making of their EP:

“i’ve gotta say that the 4 days we spent making this little cracker of a record was one of the most fun sessions ive ever been involved in. we didnt over-think anything, just followed the good feeling and let the music appear. who knows what the future holds for the bens, but im glad we captured a really special moment and that you guys can now share in it.”

Here are the four tracks from the EP, each track having a different musical styling.

[MP3] The Bens – Just Pretend
[MP3] The Bens – XFire
[MP3] The Bens – Stop
[MP3] The Bens – Bruised (Super Rec’d)