Opening with a dramatic violin, fun’s debut record, Aim & Ignite, gives a hint of a sadder side of Nate Ruess, but before long opener “Be Calm” explodes with the type of fanfare that acts as a reminder of former singer of The Format’s gift for shedding a bright light over a cloudy day. From that moment on, Aim & Ignite is a summer record, filled with a refreshingly charming pop sensibility that draws from the ’60s with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink aesthetic and killer harmonies. (And check out a video below!)
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GRUB ANIMAL's self-titled debut contains the certain rawness that their name would imply, and that's exactly what makes it unique experience. While Brooklyn's most talked about scene these days is still the lo-fi scene that prides itself on their DIY aesthetic, many of the bands have needed to soak their songs in ridiculous amounts of reverb to hide the songwriting or lackthereof. Many of those bands also seem to be drawing from the same influences. Grub Animal, on the other hand comes out of left field with a sound that would imply that this is a band has listened to far more Dead Kennedys, Pere Ubu and Husker D than The Jesus & Mary Chain.
Front man Ted Strauss says the record "is a little about exploring different personas from rock 'n roll's recent past. It's about channeling great stories through those personas, stories that are sometimes way old. The album features 3 songs using lyrics from (loosely translated) Inuit songs, documented during an arctic expedition in 1915. There is also a kind of zombie narrative running through, giving glimpses of terror, madness, and death. And for the sentimental listener, there's at least one love song, depending on how you classify such a thing. It's all about living the joy and labyrinth of each moment to an extreme unattainable in normal life. It's about celebrating what's nearly forgotten for its charm and authenticity. It's about good music, hopefully."
While much of the record is packed with in-your-face energy, it's the more subtle tunes that leave the most lasting impression. Characterized by a bouncy bass line, love song"Day Brings New Love" is an early highlight. "Think of Nothing Else" shifts from soft spoken word verses to Native American sounding chants, and quite possibly the best moment of the record comes with album's lovely instrumental halfway point, "Tetrodotoxin."
You can download the full album for free from the link below:
Grub Animal - "Grub Animal"
You can catch Grub Animal for free on October 3rd at the "Good For You's Good For Me" 1 Year Anniversary party at Bell House in Brooklyn.
Today only, Amazon offers a download of It's Frightening for only $1.99. I highly recommend taking advantage of this rather incredible deal.
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Islands, Das Racist
Bell House, 8.19.09
When you see a lot of concerts, you can expect the occasional disappointment. Just as bands have nights when it all seems to click, they also can have terrible off nights. There are bands that will shock you with a great performance, and there are bands who are so hit and miss, you almost expect to catch an off night (I'm looking at you Fiery Furnaces). On Monday night, I caught Ambulance at Union Hall and couldn't help but be disappointed as their new songs just did not measure up to the few excellent songs they played from their debut, which I believe to be one of the music highlights of the last decade. Maybe the songs just need time to grow, and the band is still working out the kinks live, so I wouldn't be surprised if the next record actually ends up being really good.
After that disappointment, knowing that I would be seeing Islands on Wednesday has me excited. All three times that I had seen them in the past, the concerts were unique and memorable. Islands debut is one of the most fun records of recent years, and although "Arm's Way" was a darker vision, it held up really well when played live. Wednesday's show at Bell House was their debut as a more electronic-based quartet, and nearly the entire set was made up of new songs from their upcoming record. Aside from the lack of string section, there was something else missing. The songs weren't bad at all, but it feels that Islands have stripped away the energy and fun that made "Return to the Sea" a great album. The strings were the dynamic element that often carried "Arm's Way" and without them, those songs felt flat live. The highlights of the set came with "Where There's a Will, There's a Whalebone" and "Swans," which mostly acted as references to how good a song Nick Thorburn can write.
Opening was the much talked about hip hop act Das Racist. If you've ever heard good hip hop, then avoid this shit like the plague. I think it's supposed to be funny, like that SNL shit that Andy Sandberg does, but I felt like the joke was on me for wasting my time watching three fools dance around the stage looking at their cell phones and spilling beers and never spitting out an interesting rhyme. The ipod-programmed backing tracks were totally uninteresting, and the whole performance felt like a big long extended hipster youtube video.
I don't like to hate on bands publicly, because they're often just poor musicians having fun, and I'd hate to ruin that fun, but last night Das Racist joined the ranks of Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt and Dark Meat as musical acts that need to do us all a favor and never step onto another stage in their life. Have fun at your loft parties, but for the love of god, please don't step onto another stage in my presence ever again.
Photo: Islands at Continental Army Plaza, Brooklyn, CMJ 2007. © Jonny Leather
Everything needing to be said about these two bands has probably been said. Dinosaur Jr. are legends, who've returned with the same great distorted, stoner rock that made records like Bug and Where You Been essential records of the 90s. The Walkmen don't get the attention of bands like Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio or Dirty Projectors, but there's not a better band in NYC, and their live performances prove it time and time again, paricularly Hamilton Leitheuser's powerhouse vocals.
The bands made a really hot Sunday afternoon one to remember with a free outdoor performance at Central Park's Summerstage.
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By the time they reached what is known as the Holy Trinity of "The Back of Love," "Killing Moon," and "The Cutter," Echo & The Bunnymen has already unquestionably played the best set of the 3 day festival. Unfamiliar with the British legends, the legion of young Coldplay fans were growing restless until the opening notes of "Killing Moon" sent a shockwave of familiarity throughout the huge crowd. Immediately, the entire crowd is riding a massive high.
It has never made any sense to me why Echo & The Bunnymen weren't bigger in the states. "Ocean Rain" and "Porcupine" are 2 of the most perfect albums ever written, and their influence over modern bands like Arcade Fire and The Editors has never gotten proper respect. "Killing Moon" might get all the attention thanks to "Donnie Darko" but "Thorn of Crowns" and covers of The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" and Lou Reed's "Walk On the Wild Side" were the brightest moments during a weekend characterized by mud.
And mud there was. After the rain came pouring down on Liberty State Park on Friday, the ground was never the came. What was once beautiful fields of grass, slowly transformed into brown, smelly pits. And by the time the second storm of the weekend hit on Sunday, the entire place was sludge. Showgoers had to just accept it and let the mud become part of them, because there was no other option. Some embraced it fully, dancing as a large group while Silversun Pickups played their hit "Lazy Eye" early Sunday evening. It was a really fun moment. Others went a little too far, spending the entire day sliding through the mud, wrestling, and taunting other festival-goers, by throwing mud covered beach balls at their heads. And yet there were even still a few tip toeing through hopelessly. I destroyed a pair of shoes in the trenches, but it was well worth it for the quality of performances I was lucky enough to see.
While Akron/Family, Black Keys, Silversun Pickups, and Mogwai all put on great shows on Sunday, Elbow once again proved that they're possibly the most underrated band in the world. Opening beautifully with the triumphant chorus and horns of "Starlings," Manchester natives Elbow brought in the sunshine on an otherwise dreary day.
I later on began to think about how many of the finest performances during APW came from bands from the UK, and I'm not even a Coldplay fan. English bands My Bloody Valentine, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Elbow were the 3 best sets I was able to catch at All Points West.
Black Keys
Echo & The Bunnymen
Mogwai
Elbow
Silversun Pickups
Akron/Family
Mud People
A sea of raised middle fingers filled the crowd as Tool fans showed their lack of appreciation for My Bloody Valentine's towering wall of noise. And the further they got into the explosive finale, the more merciless the noise became, eventually shaking the Earth and bringing tough guy Tool fans to their knees, begging for mercy. When Kevin Shields and company play, it more of a sonic assault and test of endurance than a concert. That's not to say they weren't amazing. After watching My Bloody Valentine play, everything I saw prior was forgotten, and Tool seemed puny in comparison. Sure, the vocals were too low and the band stands still throughout the entire performance, but My Bloody Valentine's shows are still legendary thanks to that unmatchable hurricane of sound.
Strong sets by Neko Case, Arctic Monkeys, Kool Keith, St Vincent and the highly entertaining Gogol Bordello made for a really good day of music.
Despite having to follow the day's best act, headliners Tool also put on a hell of a show.
Tool
My Bloody Valentine
Neko Case
Gogol Bordello
St Vincent
Arctic Monkeys
Postelles
Kool Keith
Cool Kids
The Black Lips performance at this Sunday's Pool Party at Williamsburg Waterfront was a lot like those shows. It only took a few minutes into their set before the young crowd was bursting through the barrier into the photo pit, onto the stage and then through the air (malt liquor bottles in hand). The historically raucous Black Lips were eating up every minute of it, while playing their blend of simple energetic rock & roll. The further the set rolled on, the crazier the kids got, and the better the Black Lips sounded. By the time they were playing the set highlight "Bad Kids," security was lining the stage, and members of the band were riding atop the heads of the crowd.
For as wonderful and fun as the Black Lips set was, it wasn't supposed to be the last performance of the day. And You Know The Trail of Dead was set follow Black Lips and Health to continue the path towards the most chaotic Pool Party ever, but the lightening cracking in the sky, and the looming storm forced the concert cut short before they ever took the stage.
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