A couple of weeks ago, I heard Hell, the first single off this album, while I was in my car. I was kind of in shock at how much it...rocked. I turned it up so loud that my car shook.
In a lot of way, Sainthood is a departure from the sound you're used to hearing from Tegan and Sara. For one thing, there are way more rock and electronica influences. You might attribute the chances they took, sonically, to Chris Walla's production. You might attribute it to Tegan's work with AFI bassist Hunter Burgan. Or you might attribute it to Tegan and Sara's collaboration with Tiesto on his remix of their song 'Back in Your Head.'
The thing that hasn't changed, though, is the way in which the sisters can write a lyric that stops you in your tracks. Gut wrenchingly honest, the duo treks through the muddy, murky waters of the way in which we sacrifice ourselves for those we love and who we hope will love us back.
For me, the aforementioned 'Hell' and the album-closing 'Someday' were the best songs on the album. Other standouts included 'Alligator' (a total earworm) and 'The Ocean' (careful: this catchy chorus is hard to shake). Fans of Tegan and Sara's...folksier sound need not worry. The earnest song 'Sentimental tune,' a track that sounds eerily like their earlier song 'And Darling,' is a throwback track that would fit in on any track from If it was you.
There was only one song that just didn't work for me: Night watch. It wasn't bad, necessarily, but I did think it lacked cohesiveness. And on an album full of standouts, a 'meh' track is hard to ignore.
Overall, I'm a fan of Sainthood. It's totally worth the investment.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
White Rabbits at the Firebird: Local-ish boys made good
If you were at Firebird last night, you got a little taste of the Brooklyn music scene. You also got what felt very much like a homecoming show for the headliner.
White Rabbits, a band who got its start at Mizzou, came across as catchy and technically proficient on their album It's Frightening. The album was good, but if I'm being honest, it struck me as neither exceptional nor memorable.
The show last night blew me away and unseated Matt&Kim for the best show I've seen in 2009.
The short set was tight, and though there were a lot of musicians on stage, their sound wasn't muddy and none of the musicians stepped on each other's toes. They played songs that I recognized from the new album--Percussion Gun, Company I keep, and Midnight and I were standouts--but they also managed to pull out what I could only assume was some older stuff. They were engaging and kept the crowd interested. I rarely say this, but I could've done with a smidge more crowd interaction. The length of the set didn't lend itself to much banter, but they sometimes didn't pause between songs--something that is always a little off-putting for me when I want to clap.
There were two opening acts--one of which I really dug (Suckers) and one of which (Glass Ghost) didn't really work for me.
I give Glass Ghost an 'A' for effort--they played bulk of their set with a singer/keyboard player and a drummer. But the singer just didn't "sell it" in a way that convinced me he was anything more than either disinterested or terrified. I am curious to hear the album, though, to see if their setup works better that way.
I loved (loved!) Suckers. Read this article to get the gist of why they're so awesome. My husband and I thought they sounded a little bit like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah or TV on the Radio. Their music was interesting and their set was tight. Clearly they're skilled musicians, even if I didn't always get what they were doing. They featured 'two' lead vocalists who carried the band through their range of music and a drummer who was amazing.
Overall, it was a fantastic homecoming of sorts with an enthusiastic crowd and skilled musicians.
White Rabbits, a band who got its start at Mizzou, came across as catchy and technically proficient on their album It's Frightening. The album was good, but if I'm being honest, it struck me as neither exceptional nor memorable.
The show last night blew me away and unseated Matt&Kim for the best show I've seen in 2009.
The short set was tight, and though there were a lot of musicians on stage, their sound wasn't muddy and none of the musicians stepped on each other's toes. They played songs that I recognized from the new album--Percussion Gun, Company I keep, and Midnight and I were standouts--but they also managed to pull out what I could only assume was some older stuff. They were engaging and kept the crowd interested. I rarely say this, but I could've done with a smidge more crowd interaction. The length of the set didn't lend itself to much banter, but they sometimes didn't pause between songs--something that is always a little off-putting for me when I want to clap.
There were two opening acts--one of which I really dug (Suckers) and one of which (Glass Ghost) didn't really work for me.
I give Glass Ghost an 'A' for effort--they played bulk of their set with a singer/keyboard player and a drummer. But the singer just didn't "sell it" in a way that convinced me he was anything more than either disinterested or terrified. I am curious to hear the album, though, to see if their setup works better that way.
I loved (loved!) Suckers. Read this article to get the gist of why they're so awesome. My husband and I thought they sounded a little bit like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah or TV on the Radio. Their music was interesting and their set was tight. Clearly they're skilled musicians, even if I didn't always get what they were doing. They featured 'two' lead vocalists who carried the band through their range of music and a drummer who was amazing.
Overall, it was a fantastic homecoming of sorts with an enthusiastic crowd and skilled musicians.
Friday, October 23, 2009
NPR's All Songs Considered and the Top Songs of Aught Nine...so far
I just finished listening to the All Songs Considered podcast from July (yes...July!) where they asked listeners to vote on their top songs and albums of 2009 at that point.
The top 5 songs were:
1. My girls by Animal Collective
2. Two weeks by Grizzly Bear
3. Blood bank by Bon Iver
4. The Rake's song by The Decemberists
5. Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
If you want to see the whole list, go here. The blog also has clips from some of these songs.
I couldn't really argue with the list. I mean, I don't really dig on Animal Collective, but that song was pretty hot. I might've put the Bon Iver song closer to the top and I would've had a Phoenix track or something by Passion Pit in the Top 5 (on the podcast, Liztomania was no. 6 but on the blog it's no. 5).
Anyway...check it out if you're interested.
The top 5 songs were:
1. My girls by Animal Collective
2. Two weeks by Grizzly Bear
3. Blood bank by Bon Iver
4. The Rake's song by The Decemberists
5. Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
If you want to see the whole list, go here. The blog also has clips from some of these songs.
I couldn't really argue with the list. I mean, I don't really dig on Animal Collective, but that song was pretty hot. I might've put the Bon Iver song closer to the top and I would've had a Phoenix track or something by Passion Pit in the Top 5 (on the podcast, Liztomania was no. 6 but on the blog it's no. 5).
Anyway...check it out if you're interested.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Mike Doughty at the Duck Room
This is a 'things I love' blog. As such, I don't spend much time dwelling on things that suck. It's just more fun for me, the author, to write about those things that are awesome. And the more fun it is for me to write, the more fun it is for you to read.
That having been said, I have to start out this review by saying that this concert "experience" was the worst I've ever had. There were these guys standing behind me that would. not. shut. up. Seriously...for the entire show, they were either talking really loudly or singing really loudly. And no amount of looks or subtle 'hey...do you mind?' comments would shut them up. They were hell bent on being "those guys" at this show. They were clearly fans of Doughty because they knew all the words to all the songs. Doughty himself even had to ask the audience to 'take it down a level' not once but twice.
The best part of the evening was when the lady next to me lost her shit and yelled at Doughty.
The exchange went something like this:
Lady: Do you ever go to someone's job and take the broom out of their hands?
Doughty: Huh?
Lady (slower): Do you ever go to someone's job and take the broom out of their hands?
Doughty: Uh...no?
Lady: Those guys (pointing behind her) are stealing your broom, Dude.
The guys didn't get booted, but at least her public shaming shut them up for five seconds. I would love to buy this lady a beer. Do you know her?
That having been said, the show was pretty awesome. I think the venue wasn't quite right, but Mike Doughty and Scrap were awesome. It was a "Question Jar" show, which meant that Doughty played acoustic guitar and his only accompaniment was Andrew 'Scrap' Livingston on the cello or bass guitar. It also means that the audience got to submit questions which Doughty and Scrap answered during the course of the evening.
Turns out that Doughty won't play at your wedding, loves cherry sno cones, would go to the 1982 Knoxville World's Fair in a Time Machine, loves Steinbeck, and only sometimes misses the drugs. Also, he's still f***ing that chicken.
The limitations of playing an acoustic set meant that Doughty had to make careful choices about which songs he could tackle. Some of his catalog just doesn't stand up to that kind of limitation. But he did pull out a couple of surprises--top among them was Saint Louise is Listening. He also played a lot of songs you'd expect him to play in a setting like that--Janine, Unsingable name, Madeline and Nine, I Hear the Bells. He pimped the new album, playing about half of it. Standouts included (He's got the) Whole World (in His hands) and (You should be) Doubly (Gratified).
Staying true to his roots, his "fake last song" before the encore was from his Soul Coughing days--Soft Serve--and was, for my money, the highlight of the evening.
I was worried about the Question Jar element of the evening. Stage banter is good, but only if the person doing it is witty enough to make you care. Good singers, it is my experience, aren't always great at banter. It was nice, though, the way that Scrap and Doughty managed to interact and answer questions thoughtfully.
I think the Duck Room wasn't a great venue for this show. I'd never been there before but some frustrated post-show tweets lead me to believe that it isn't a good venue for bands who want the quiet, intimate show that a space that small has the potential to provide. I'm not sure, though, what would've been better. Off Broadway, perhaps? The only thing I know for sure is that I will probably not go back to the Duck Room any time soon.
Overall, a good show. Not a great show, but that was more to do with the venue and the concert goers than the performer.
That having been said, I have to start out this review by saying that this concert "experience" was the worst I've ever had. There were these guys standing behind me that would. not. shut. up. Seriously...for the entire show, they were either talking really loudly or singing really loudly. And no amount of looks or subtle 'hey...do you mind?' comments would shut them up. They were hell bent on being "those guys" at this show. They were clearly fans of Doughty because they knew all the words to all the songs. Doughty himself even had to ask the audience to 'take it down a level' not once but twice.
The best part of the evening was when the lady next to me lost her shit and yelled at Doughty.
The exchange went something like this:
Lady: Do you ever go to someone's job and take the broom out of their hands?
Doughty: Huh?
Lady (slower): Do you ever go to someone's job and take the broom out of their hands?
Doughty: Uh...no?
Lady: Those guys (pointing behind her) are stealing your broom, Dude.
The guys didn't get booted, but at least her public shaming shut them up for five seconds. I would love to buy this lady a beer. Do you know her?
That having been said, the show was pretty awesome. I think the venue wasn't quite right, but Mike Doughty and Scrap were awesome. It was a "Question Jar" show, which meant that Doughty played acoustic guitar and his only accompaniment was Andrew 'Scrap' Livingston on the cello or bass guitar. It also means that the audience got to submit questions which Doughty and Scrap answered during the course of the evening.
Turns out that Doughty won't play at your wedding, loves cherry sno cones, would go to the 1982 Knoxville World's Fair in a Time Machine, loves Steinbeck, and only sometimes misses the drugs. Also, he's still f***ing that chicken.
The limitations of playing an acoustic set meant that Doughty had to make careful choices about which songs he could tackle. Some of his catalog just doesn't stand up to that kind of limitation. But he did pull out a couple of surprises--top among them was Saint Louise is Listening. He also played a lot of songs you'd expect him to play in a setting like that--Janine, Unsingable name, Madeline and Nine, I Hear the Bells. He pimped the new album, playing about half of it. Standouts included (He's got the) Whole World (in His hands) and (You should be) Doubly (Gratified).
Staying true to his roots, his "fake last song" before the encore was from his Soul Coughing days--Soft Serve--and was, for my money, the highlight of the evening.
I was worried about the Question Jar element of the evening. Stage banter is good, but only if the person doing it is witty enough to make you care. Good singers, it is my experience, aren't always great at banter. It was nice, though, the way that Scrap and Doughty managed to interact and answer questions thoughtfully.
I think the Duck Room wasn't a great venue for this show. I'd never been there before but some frustrated post-show tweets lead me to believe that it isn't a good venue for bands who want the quiet, intimate show that a space that small has the potential to provide. I'm not sure, though, what would've been better. Off Broadway, perhaps? The only thing I know for sure is that I will probably not go back to the Duck Room any time soon.
Overall, a good show. Not a great show, but that was more to do with the venue and the concert goers than the performer.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Erin McKeown's Hundreds of Lions
Erin McKeown's new album, Hundreds of Lions, is something I've been anticipating for a while. Recorded without support from a major label on the front end, this is McKeown's first album of original music since 2005's We Will Become Like Birds and her first collaboration with Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe.
One thing I really appreciate about McKeown as an artist is her capacity to challenge me as a listener. Her new album, Hundreds of Lions, is no exception. The creative freedom that comes from not having having major label support is evident from all of the risks that McKeown takes. And I, for one, dig it.
Always lyrically nimble, McKeown spends a lot of this album experimenting sonically. The first time through, the rich arrangements threw me. Strings, a drum machine, and birds all serve as accompaniment on tracks throughout the album.
Even with a more complex sound, McKeown is very meticulous in making sure that nothing is extraneous. And after a second listen, I could see that every instrument added a necessary layer of richness and depth to songs with inspired lyrics.
McKeown seems to have found a comfortable home among the songs she covered on Sing You Sinners. Though original tunes, standouts like To a Hammer, The Lions, and The Rascals all could've been covers of long-ago written standards. And McKeown shines when she's playing witty, carefully crafted songs with a vintage feel.
For my money, though, the best track is You, Sailor. Previously released on McKeown's live album, Lafayette, the studio version takes an already beautiful song and breathes new life into it.
It may take you more than one listen to crack through its shell, but I assure you that Hundreds of Lions is worth the work.
One thing I really appreciate about McKeown as an artist is her capacity to challenge me as a listener. Her new album, Hundreds of Lions, is no exception. The creative freedom that comes from not having having major label support is evident from all of the risks that McKeown takes. And I, for one, dig it.
Always lyrically nimble, McKeown spends a lot of this album experimenting sonically. The first time through, the rich arrangements threw me. Strings, a drum machine, and birds all serve as accompaniment on tracks throughout the album.
Even with a more complex sound, McKeown is very meticulous in making sure that nothing is extraneous. And after a second listen, I could see that every instrument added a necessary layer of richness and depth to songs with inspired lyrics.
McKeown seems to have found a comfortable home among the songs she covered on Sing You Sinners. Though original tunes, standouts like To a Hammer, The Lions, and The Rascals all could've been covers of long-ago written standards. And McKeown shines when she's playing witty, carefully crafted songs with a vintage feel.
For my money, though, the best track is You, Sailor. Previously released on McKeown's live album, Lafayette, the studio version takes an already beautiful song and breathes new life into it.
It may take you more than one listen to crack through its shell, but I assure you that Hundreds of Lions is worth the work.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Best music of Aught Nine...so far?
For the past couple of years, The Dude and I have done a "best music of the year" list. And every year, December rolls around and I feel like there's so much music I haven't listened to.
So let me break it down for you.
So far, I've enjoyed:
Grand--Matt&Kim
Fantasies--Metric
Sad Man Happy Man--Mike Doughty
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix--Phoenix
It's frightening--White Rabbits
Manners--Passion Pit
October's new releases that I'm excited about:
Hundreds of Lions--Erin McKeown
Sainthood--Tegan and Sara
So here's the question: What have you loved that isn't on this list?
Leave a comment and fill me in.
So let me break it down for you.
So far, I've enjoyed:
Grand--Matt&Kim
Fantasies--Metric
Sad Man Happy Man--Mike Doughty
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix--Phoenix
It's frightening--White Rabbits
Manners--Passion Pit
October's new releases that I'm excited about:
Hundreds of Lions--Erin McKeown
Sainthood--Tegan and Sara
So here's the question: What have you loved that isn't on this list?
Leave a comment and fill me in.
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