Reading some of the other things the press has said about Hooray For Earth, it could be really hard to pin down what the Boston/NYC quartet sounds like.
NPR describes them by saying "With an ear for both '80s-inspired synth pop and contemporary indie rock sensibilities, Hooray For Earth falls somewhere between The Magnetic Fields and Voxtrot."
Bostonist says "With their self-titled debut, the members of Hooray For Earth sought a middle ground between Nine Inch Nail’s industrial thrash and the grunge force of Nirvana."
And RCRD LBL says "Think Joy Division Guided By Voices a lot of narcoleptic visions."
These are three pretty different descriptions of the same band. Which of these views is correct? Well, I don't really get the Magnetic Fields reference, but all three publications seem to catch a piece of what Hooray For Earth is all about. With their guitars tuned down to the bottom-most levels, Hooray For Earth takes well-crafted pop songs and turns them into something unique. I can't help but think of Torche when I hear Hooray For Earth. Not that these bands really sound alike, but at times their low tuning and songwriting philosophies cross similar paths. Torche has drawn attention for their heavy focus on melody and pop hooks, despite being a powerful metal band along the lined of The Melvins.
It's that same understanding of melody that shows through in Hooray For Earth's songwriting. Songs like "How Are You Here" and "Carefree" are instantly catchy, despite containing an onslaught of crunchy guitars and pounding drums. This is exactly one of the things that made Kurt Cobain and Nirvana so special. No matter how heavy or in your face the music is, Hooray For Earth never loses the ability to hook you with a catchy melody.
Along with the combo of bass, guitar and drums, synths play a major role in giving HFE their signature sound, filling space with an atmospheric touch, and at times providing a layered effect not dissimilar to backing vocals, as with the excellent "Take Care."
Live, Hooray For Earth is just as refreshing as they are on record. On Wednesday night at Public Assembly, they proved it once again. Unlike a majority of New York's local bands, HFE plays with an infectious energy, like a band truly having their way with their instruments, rather than just standing still and fiddling with them. It's sort of like Hooray For Earth is an experienced man having sex in the heat of passion—not overthinking, but knowing exactly what their doing—while many other bands may can convey the image of lacking the passion, despite possessing the experience and knowledge of the female anatomy.
With a full length and EP to their credit, Hooray For Earth has begun to work on their sophomore full length, and if their previous releases are any indication, it'll be something to really look forward to.
For Wednesday's gig, Hooray For Earth was joined by a trio of strong local acts—Appomattox, Radical Dads, and Zambri—all of which are most definitely worth checking out.
Paramount Styles/Loxsly/Ivana XL
Union Hall, 5.26.09
Austin quintet Loxsly quietly came into town, played a pair of shows and continued their merry way on the road to play other cities where no one is yet familiar with them. This happens to bands every day, but few of them are as good as Loxsly.
On the day that their new record "Tomorrow's Fossils" was officially released into the wild, the band made the first of their two NY stops with a gig at Brooklyn's Union Hall, which seemed all too fitting given the complimentary visual aesthetics of the band and venue.
Combining the folk influence and voice of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy with the playful electronic pop of Grandaddy, Loxsly performed an incredible set, while oddball scientific video projected onto them. Pedal steel was their greatest asset during the set, adding a special touch to a few songs. The addition of a Neil Young cover made it even more delightful. Loxsly put on an equally awesome performance at Pianos on Thursday.
Headlining the Union Hall show was Paramount Styles. Mystery remains as to how they've been unable to get much of any attention here, despite it being the new project of former Girls Against Boys singer/guitarist Scott McCloud, and featuring other accomplished musicians in the band. This was my third time seeing them play, and once again riding the strength of Scott McCloud's unique vocal delivery and excellent lyrics, they were nothing less than impressive. When will the rest of NYC finally realize?
The young and beautiful Ivana XL opened the night alone on the stage with her acoustic guitar. Not just another singer-songwriter, Ivana XL possesses an incredible voice that contains a fantastic dream-like quality, not unlike Mazzy star. With those hazy vocals about boys and American Idol layered over nicely structured songs, the results were breathtaking. Her name is just beginning to pop up these days, but expect to hear it a lot more—especially after she plays a show with the much ballyhooed Ólöf Arnalds on June 11 at Union Pool.
Celebrating the release of their new record Good Good Desperation on Tee Pee Records, Hopewell packed the back room at Pianos on Tuesday night. While a room full of people is always a good thing for a band, having it be at place as small as Pianos was just another reminder of how overlooked Hopewell has been over the years. It's never made a whole lot of sense, but Hopewell has never seen great success despite Mercury Rev-lineage, a tour with My Bloody Valentine, a solid discography, and most importantly one of the better live shows around in the the biggest music scene in the world.
Good Good Desperation is another spaced-out psych rock gem that continues along the road that they began traveling years ago. It's darker and heavier than anything the band has ever done, and that makes for an even more intense live show.
Oddly enough, after pounding mostly through their new tracks, the band ended the set very abruptly which left a lot of fans looking pretty baffled.
On the second night of their Pianos residency, Linfinity preceded Hopewell and did everything in their power to make it known that they are the next big thing in the NYC scene. From the opening seconds of "Holy Rain" to the emotional closer "Molly Mar of Rome," the six-piece displayed an intense sense of urgency not unlike Arcade Fire or DeVotchka (the two bands this band's sound will be compared to most). This was my third time catching the band live in less than a year, and they've grown noticeably tighter, and really developed their songs and live show. Mustachioed frontman/songwriter Dylan Von Wagner carries the type of strong presence and powerful voice necessary to draw the band attention in the near future.
Hopewell
Linfinity
The things that Shilpa Ray sings about contain a fair share of dirty and grime, so it was appropriate that I showed up to Pianos unaware of the remains of shit on my leg from my friend's pet bird. (He's pretty sneaky with his defecation.) Along the way to the venue, I also saw a dog that looked impeccably like a bear, and a yuppy douchebag passed out on Ludlow with his cell phone in his hand and open. It was like the stars were aligning for a pretty special night...
And it was special. Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers introduced about 5 news songs during their set on Wednesday, and they were fantastic. It was their 2nd show of their Pianos residency, and the band played like they were settling in and making Pianos their home. As usual, Shilpa Ray and her ferocious set of pipes were the focus, but the 4 men playing behind her deserve props. Jay Braun's guitars scream with nearly as much fire as Shilpa's voice, Josh Fleischmann provides a steady flow of explosive beats behind the kit, Nick Hundley's bass lines bounce with jazzy cool, and Andrew Hoepfner's keys add an extra atmosphere to the songs. This woman could probably stand behind her harmonium and sing any song ever written, and it'll sound great. With her band, and stellar songwriting, what she and Her Happy Hookers deliver is beyond great.
Grossly overlooked locals Ford & Fitzroy preceded SR HHH with an incredibly energetic set characterized by playful guitar interplay and Jay Schneider's unique vocal delivery. If you like classic indie rockers like Modest Mouse and Built to Spill and haven't heard these guys, do yourself a favor and get your hands on their debut record Canyons.
Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers have one night left on their Pianos Residency with a show on Wednesday May 27. This one will be headlined by a special guest, that'll sure make it an extra special night.
Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
Ford & Fitzroy
Both figures will be distributed by MVD Entertainment Group - a company specializing in music-related distribution since 1986 - and DKE Toys - a wholesale distributor of urban / vinyl / designer art / objects / toys / figurines.
"We normally don't carry bobbleheads but I was floored that the folks at Aggronautix would attempt this project," said Dov Kelemer CEO of DKE Toys. "I figured that if I broke down and made an exception to actually put this (anti-)bobblehead in my collection that others would feel the same. GG Allin... WTF!?!?!?!"
The idea first surfaced two years ago when Aggronautix pitched the GG figure idea to Merle Allin, GG's brother.
"I had been thinking about doing a GG figure for a while, so when the guys came to me with the idea, I was into it," said Allin. "The proofing process took a long time, but we got it right. The doll looks really good and I'm happy with it."
Aggronautix soon discovered another likely personality to polyresinate, Tesco Vee. He states, "As a toy collector of two decades, and classic bobble head collector, imagine just how geeked I became, when informed that yours truly would enter the pantheon of 'Throbblehead' punk rock losers, along with poopy soulmate GG Allin!"
The figures are now available for purchase on http://www.aggronautix.com and http://www.seeofsound.com will soon be available at many independent retailers, comic shops, tattoo parlors, etc.
Aggronautix is currently working on a Dwarves "Two-Headed Throbble" to be released this summer.
Dark Was The Night
Radio City Music Hall, 5.3.09
Depending on your feelings about Sharon Jones, the highlight of Sunday night's Dark Was The Night show varies. With the high honor of playing last on a lineup loaded with stars like David Byrne and Feist, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings came out and put on a show. Jones commands the stage like a female James Brown, while the Dap Kings create a funky soul sound not far off from the music of Brown's legendary backing bands. And after their energetic set, the members of many of the earlier acts came to the stage for an encore rendition of "This Land is Our Land" in honor of Pete Seeger. With Bon Iver's Justin Vernon leading the group with his beautiful voice—it was a gorgeous moment—then Sharon Jones suddenly returned to the stage to "steal" the show with her own rendition. Only problem was that I was quite enjoying the other version, and Jones' version just ended up sounding like all her other songs, and took focus from the group of gifted musicians all onto her.
The night should not have ended with Sharon Jones. Bon Iver's Justin Vernon was the true star of the night. No gimmicks, no dance moves, Vernon's voice filled Radio City magnificently both during Bon Iver's set as well as when he contributed during other sets, especially Byrne's. The performances of "Big Red Machine" with Matt Berringer of The National, and "Flume" with Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond were the moments that made this special evening most worth attending. If there was ever a question as to whether or not Bon Iver's soft acoustics and phenomenal harmonies could work in large venues, that was surely answered on Sunday.
If it hadn't been for Bon Iver's undeniably brilliant contributions to the night, it would be hard to pick a top highlight from the other great performances. The Dirty Projectors opened the show with a powerful set of songs from their upcoming record, as well as 2 collaborations with David Byrne. There's no doubt that they've become one of the best bands in the world over the past few years. The National were solid as usual, playing a handful of new songs, but could have benefited from playing one of their heavier songs. And David Byrne was just as wonderful as expected.
Despite the warm feeling of contributing money to a good cause, Sunday's Dark Was The Night concert gave attendees a pretty special night as a thank you for their contributions, leaving everyone with very little reason to leave the show with anything but a smile on their face.
For more info on Dark Was The Night, and the benefit compilation featuring artists like David Byrne, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear and Arcade Fire, go to www.darkwasthenight.com.
The Dears
Bell House, 5.1.09
With the stage at Bell House empty of musicians, the house music turned off, the lights dimmed and the trip-hop sounds of “Saviour” began to play through the speakers. Then came the familiar voice of The Dears’ lead singer Murray Lightburn, who was nowhere to be seen. His passionate words were clearly being delivered live, and his mic stand was missing its’ mic, so the best guess would be that he was making a theatrical entrance. Looking around, I still could not catch a glimpse of the man, but it seemed that other heads were turned in search also. Meanwhile, the two girls standing to my left were fully engaged in a loud conversation about a boy, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the headliner was already 2 minutes into their set. Finally, My eyes caught a glimpse of Lightburn when the man behind me stepped to the side to allow Lightburn to walk forward to my direction. Now only a foot away from me, I felt caught in a very special moment, watching the Morrissey-voiced singer croon his most passionate song like a soul singer from within the audience. And though the rest of the crowd was fully engaged, and Lightburn was directly behind them, the pair of chatterboxes continued to converse loudly, still unaware.
I’ve wanted to smack people at concerts many times. I’ve had so many good reasons—talking on cell phone during set, spilling beer on me, shooting a camera flash every 2 seconds, super tall dude squeezing in front of me and blocking my view…etc, but this may have been the worst offense I’ve ever seen at a concert. When they finally finally realized that Lightburn was singing behind them, embarrassment rightfully showed clearly on their faces, and they shut their mouths, but they still deserved a good smack for intruding upon my enjoyment of one of the most beautifully intimate experiences I’ve had at a concert.
After the incredible opening of “Saviour,” Lightburn and the rest of The Dears finally took the stage and proceeded to unload one of the best sets I’ve seen in a while.
Back when their debut “No Cities Left” came out in 2004, The Dears were talked about as one of the next big things of indie rock, and there was no reason to think otherwise, but despite 2 more brilliantly expansive records, they have failed to reach the level of popularity of bands like Arcade Fire and Decemberists. Their most recent record, “Missiles” is a huge record that takes cues from Blur, Morrissey and even Pink Floyd, and with much of the set consisting of tracks from the record, The Dears displayed just how powerful the album is. From “Saviour” showing off the deepest depths of its emotional core to set closer “Lights Off” unloading ‘70s-style guitar solo theatrics to “Meltdown” and its futuristic keytar atmosphere, every minute of their set was worth seeing.
And when The Dears strayed from their newer material to play older tracks like “The Plot is Lost” and “Hate Then Love,” it was a reminder that this is a band that has released three of the finest albums of the decade without nearly enough fanfare for their accomplishments.
On Monday, The Dears are back in New York City to play Bowery Ballroom. Once again Eulogies and Great Northern will be opening, and both bands are definitely worth getting there early for.
Crystal Stilts
Cake Shop, 4.31.09
A few years back, terribly underrated band The Double headlined a small show at the then new venue Cake Shop. Since then, The Double has seemingly disappeared as members have moved to separate cities and started new projects. Opening for The Double that night was an unknown band by the name of Crystal Stilts. At that time, Crystal Stilts were still in the earlier stages of developing their sound, but definitely showed hints at what has since made them one of NYC's hottest bands.
On Thursday, I returned to the same venue where I had first seen them all those years ago. Now a legitimate headliner capable of selling out larger venues, Crystal Stilts brought back memories playing on the smaller stage of Cake Shop under the ceiling covered in Christmas lights. After having their first 2 songs drowned in a bottomless sea of reverb, they seemed to get their sound right, and from that moment on, they made it clear why they've been getting so much attention these days—simplistic, jangly, garage rock melodies and Brad Hargett's dead pan Ian Curtis-drowned-in-reverb vocals. It's lo-fi at its finest.
Their debut Alight of Night was one of 2008's most unexpected surprises, and will be a tough record to follow up without making a carbon-copy.
One of the busiest bands in New York City, Crystal Stilts play again on Friday May 8th at Bell House with excellent local bands Religious Knives, Blank Dogs and Dinowalrus. This could be one of the best shows of the week.
Deleted Scenes
The Studio @ Wesbter Hall, 4.18.09
While preparing to write about Deleted Scene's excellent performance at The Studio at Webster Hall on Saturday, I came across a press release with the band's own guide to how to write about Deleted Scenes:
It’s Easy To Write About Deleted Scenes
1. A DIY bootstraps story. Band (Deleted Scenes) from a town (Washington, DC) that made DIY into a religion begins booking its own national tours, and sets off in a shitty van to play one sparsely attended show at a time. Months after releasing their debut album to little fanfare and no press campaign, a lucky Pitchfork review (“brave and ferocious,” 8.0) suddenly makes people listen. Band does it the hard way, develops as a live force over three years, and is said to deserve every kind word. Yards of local column inches tell the story of a band “doing it right,” in the words of Washington Post music editor David Malitz.
2. An experimental pop odyssey. Band draws from disparate sources (Radiohead’s restlessness, Dischord’s angst, Morrissey’s sadness, Modest Mouse’s not-mere cleverness) to produce something heart-crushingly fun. Preparing to record its first CD (Birdseed Shirt), band discovers an obscure album of monster songs (The Rude Staircase’s Sookie Jump) and is compelled to hunt down its mysterious creator-the ingenious, first-nameless L. Skell-to recruit him as producer. After recording basic tracks with DC icon J. Robbins, the band holes up for nine painstaking months in a bedroom studio with the socially abhorrent Skell, hacking and screwing together this beast-a thing made less of chords and rhythms than of hair, wire, and skin. They release it on Skell’s own tiny What Delicate Recordings label-a record company run more like an art gallery, with Skell and Andrew Becker (Dischord Records) as its curators.
3. An existential coming of age. A former creative writing student quits fiction, and starts singing what he knows-spiritual despair, hope, disgust, and manic-depression. He goes on to create a confessional coming-of-age work that defies easy summary. Suffused with sadness, humor, self-loathing and post-post-modern self-dismissal, his lyrics are notable for contradictions that transcend simple irony. Lines like “I don’t mind you lying to me / If you think you’re right, you must be” (“Fake IDs”) and “you can fake whatever it takes” (“Get Your Shit Together For The Holidays”) offer problematic solutions-the only kind he can begin to accept. Other songs explore moral hypocrisy, romantic disappointment, and loss of faith with statements that double over on themselves: “If the water should rise, I’m going on a vacation” (“Mortal Sin”); “If you were counting on ideals or a dream / Stay awake, she will steal them in your sleep” (“One Long Country Song”); “Got God, got boring/ Lost God, stayed boring, got drunk” (“Got God”).
4. A band of bros. Four high-school friends put funk-rock on hold, part ways for college and/or shitty jobs, and reconvene, a few years older and more adventurous, to start Deleted Scenes. The musical rapport they developed as kids comes back as naturally as if it had never left, and the band is a unit. It plays like one, garnering one fawning live review after another. Songwriting pair Dan Scheuerman (guitar/vocals) and Matt Dowling (bass/keys/vibes/flexotone) explores a tendentious partnership-Dowling a dynamic rhythmic thinker and Scheuerman a quirky melodic one-and develop into a symbiotic unit, contributing equally to each song. Thoughtful and powerful drumming by Brian Hospital, and polyrhythm-heavy guitar playing by Chris Scheffey complete the Deleted Scenes sound.
From the looks of the crowd at The Studio, it's surprising that this is a band recently praised by Pitchfork. Usually that sort of indie cred will pack a room, but the crowd was mainly there for The Life & Times. Kansas City natives, The Life & Times put on a really solid performance, but it was Deleted Scenes who stole the show. Their blend of indie pop rock sounded fresh, with enough variety in the songs to make each song memorable.
It's surprising that their name isn't already all over the place, but in due time it will happen.
They'll be back in town on May 18, for a show at Pianos.
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