New Album On the Bound from Fiona Apple
March 19th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
I’m excited to report (if you haven’t already heard) that Fiona Apple has a new album set to be released this June. The whopper of a title The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do was revealed earlier this month. Apple had her first comeback show at the South by Southwest music festival on March 14, with a few sold out performances to follow this month – including this Thursday at Music Hall of Williamsburg and next Monday at the Bowery (anyone got an extra ticket??)
It has been five years since Apple went on tour and seven years since her last album Extraordinary Machine was released, so her fans have plenty reason to be elated. And Apple fans are a loyal breed. This was famously displayed when fans lobbied to have Extraordinary Machine properly released after several delays due to Sony Epic’s request to have the album reworked to have more commercial appeal and songs being leaked online.
Though she’s only released three albums in her career, when Apple does release an album, it is always a fruitful harvest (no pun intended).
“I only write [music] when I’m angry or sad or something, because that’s when I just have to write. I only will work if I absolutely have to. If I’m having a good time and I’m happy and things are going really well, why would I wanna stop what I’m doing and go write at the piano?”
-Fiona Apple, 2006
Though I sincerely hope Fiona Apple is happy, she’s looking rather sickly thin again and has come up with a whole album of new material behind our backs, so the likelihood of that seems doubtful. God bless her, but no one really does agony and maniacal baroque pop quite like her, and we’ve missed her! As fans we’ve always reaped the pleasure of basking in the footfalls of her agony.
Watch Apple perform her pleasantly hopeful new song “Anything We Want” at the NPR-hosted SXSW event at Stubbs.
Van Halen Live at MSG/ A Different Kind of Truth Review
March 1st, 2012 § Leave a Comment
I may have jumped the gun by forgetting the old adage “never judge an album by its single”, when Van Halen premiered their latest reunion last month with “Tattoo”. The song sounded too reunion-y. But looking at A Different Kind of Truth as a whole and placing the element of time farther away in your periphery, the album feels like a continuous follow up from one of the greatest and most diverse hard rock bands of the 70s-80s.
On Tuesday night I had the pleasure of seeing Van Halen (for the first time) live at Madison Square Garden and they proved to be just as hard rocking, zippy and extravagant as I’d ever imagined.
“Told ya I was comin’ back… (Told Ya!)/ Say you missed me… (Say it!)/ Say it like ya mean it!” – ‘Blood and Fire’
It’s a little bit cheesy, but what isn’t about Van Halen? And hey, after listening to ‘Blood and Fire’ anyone can see that this is not just a lackluster reunion album, but a legitimate follow up, so be it 28 years later (with Roth). It’s not that ‘Tattoo’ is a bad song, because it’s catchy as hell, but it almost scared us into thinking Truth would be an album sprinkled with too many slowed down ballads with a loss of fire, a loss of chemistry between the members of the band, like so many reconciled bands put out after such a long lapse.
‘Blood and Fire’
Though Roth came back about five years ago to tour with the band in 2007, putting out a new album this time makes it extra special – and with the album being so strong, it’s even better than you’d expect. This is what loyal Van Halen fans have been waiting so long for. And they showed up – the 40-ish-year-old men filled Blarney Rock Pub on 33rd Street before the show, putting ‘Jamie’s Cryin” and ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ on the jukebox, bringing them back to the good ol’ days of adolescence in their parents’ basements dreaming about nice cars and hot chicks that they didn’t have. Look, I was born in 1986, so I’m a little out of my element here, but read this great review of the album from that perspective.
The majority of the show Tuesday included the full rundown of their classics, sprinkled with a handful of new songs from Truth.
‘She’s The Woman’ – the 1976 demo song – is the popular favorite on the new album, showing off the signature guitar style against playful vocal delivery and an addictive chorus. I found myself tagging 5 iTunes stars to almost every song on Truth, so it’s hard to pick a personal favorite, but I think right now its ‘Honeybabysweetiedoll’.
An ‘I’ll Wait’ is disappointingly missing from Truth. But there is ‘You and Your Blues’, which has some of that feel to it with a teasing ‘Ain’t Talkin ’bout Love’ intro. Lyrically it’s like Roth has had it with waiting; time has weathered a grown man’s patience, and not necessarily in a bad way.
‘As Is’ and ’China Town’ are amazingly shred-tastic and show no slowing down for Eddie. True, Roth may have lost a few high notes along the way, and apparently forgot a few lyrics to ‘China Town’ at the show, but he had plenty of energy and even threw in a high kick or two (maybe not as high as it once was), so no biggie. Even though the bass and backing vocals of former bassist Michael Anthony is missed, little Wolfie (son of Eddie, nephew of drummer Alex) comes through just fine. They’ve still got it – that chemistry and charisma is there.
‘Honeybabysweetiedoll’
Look, the late 80s-early 90s era Van Hagar may have brought four consecutive number one albums, but everybody knows Roth means the real Van Halen. He’s like the Dos Equis guy – there was a period of time he was the frontman of a band he wasn’t even in. Instead of “stay thirsty”, track 11 on Truth, ‘Stay Fosty’ sweetly welcomes back the return of Roth’s ‘Ice Cream Man’ character, and he kills it.
Bottom line, it would’ve been totally fine if Van Halen faded out, leaving us the memory of their many classics from the late 70s-early 80s – great if they came back and did a reunion here and there with the old gang – but this? This is love. And with plenty of fair warning.
Girls, ‘My Ma’ Video Premiere
February 27th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Girls premiered their new video for ‘My Ma’, a track off Father, Son, Holy Ghost, on Conan O’Brien’s website today. This comes in advance of their appearance on Conan’s late night show coming up Thursday, March 22. The video features the director Aaron Brown’s mother, Leslie Jaquith, according to Girls’ Twitter page. ‘My Ma’ is a song written by frontman Christopher Owens referencing the complicated relationship between him and his mother, who brought him up in the radical hippie cult, Children of God. Allegedly, Owens’ mother let another one of her sons die of pneumonia because of the cult’s anti-medicine stance and prostituted herself in Owens’ presence while he was growing up. They have both since left the cult, and he has said their relationship is on the upswing. Click the link to listen to the ode and view the lovely new video, directed by Aaron Brown of Focus Creeps, who directed many a’ Girls video.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
February 14th, 2012 § 1 Comment
Unfortunately, just one of the below couples is still together, but let’s celebrate the beautiful music they made together or inspired in each other.
Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull
For a period of time from around 1964 until 1970 Faithfull proved to be a muse to Stones front man, Mick Jagger. With help from Jagger and the Stones management, Faithfull was able to launch her career as a singer, which is still going 50 years later today! She recently performed with Metallica at their 30th anniversary celebration this past December. Stones songs inspired by Faithfull include “As Tears Go By”, “Wild Horses”, “Sister Morphine” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”.
Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham
Though not romantically linked anymore, Nicks and Buckingham claim to remain close friends to this day. Beginning in 1972 with the formation of Buckingham Nicks, which then became Fleetwood Mac, the two had a very much Rumoured relationship throughout Fleetwood Mac’s heyday that continued on in a tumultuous way over many years. Some say the two are soul mates forever. “Rhiannon” was written by Buckingham Nicks before Fleetwood Mac and “Silver Springs” was written by Nicks to Buckingham after their breakup, ensuring that he would never forget her.
Bob Dylan & Joan Baez
A historical relationship between two folk royals of the sixties was that of Dylan and Baez. Baez, originally at the forefront of the folk scene, helped introduce Dylan to the world by bringing him onstage at her shows. Supposedly, she felt resentment that he did not reciprocate the favor when he became more prominent and ultimately eclipsed Baez and any other folk singer ever. More than a boost in her career, Baez simply wanted emotional recognition from Dylan that he was not able to provide at that crazy time in the 60s. Check out how happy she looks in the video above.
Thurston Moore & Kim Gordon
After 27 years of married life – an eternity for musicians – Sonic Youth’s Moore and Gordon announced they were splitting up this past October. What’s worse is the uncertainty of the band’s future now, due to the schism. Here’s a sad snippet from a 2008 interview from Spin magazine:
Spin’s Michael Azerrad asked Moore about being half of an admired rock-star couple:
MA: You have a famously great marriage, which is virtually unheard of for a rock star, particularly when the spouse is also a bandmate. What’s your secret?
TM: There’s no secret. We’ve never sold each other out on anything. I can easily follow the allure of wanting to go out and be with the boys, and play industrial noise and smoke pot and drink, but nothing replaces the reality of our relationship. I can’t trade that for anything. I can’t think of how or where I’d be without Kim’s influence. And we’re like any couple that’s been together for close to 30 years. There’s a genuine psychophysical connection. Sometimes I feel things happening in me, and I know that something’s going on with her. When you’re married and you have that kind of connection, you become really spiritually, psychologically connected. We grew up together, in a way.
Alaina Moore & Patrick Riley
To conclude on a happy note, a rather new band from Denver called Tennis, is composed of current husband and wife duo, Moore and Riley. The two have been together since college and have been creating some beautiful, nautical-esque music since going on a 7-month sailing trip together along the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard. Listen and see what I mean. Here’s to hoping this one will last!
* * *
Happy Valentine’s Day!
xoxoxo
Lana Del Rey, Born to Die: Review
February 3rd, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Perhaps it’s hard for most people to understand why someone who has all the “money, notoriety and rivieras” would go on to say “I wish I was dead”, as Lana Del Rey sings on “Dark Paradise”. Or maybe you like your girls insane.
Or maybe you should stop taking things so literally.
Born to Die is a concept album. Lana Del Rey is a concept. Criticism of the debut album seems to stem from an unrelenting need to know just who exactly is Lana Del Rey. Is she who she says she is or is she a phony? Pitchfork even called the album the equivalent of a faked orgasm.
After all of the pre-release publicity, the ongoing hype and the force-fed fascination leading up to the album’s debut, it seems this album was, well, born to die. No one really said the album was flat-out bad. The release was just sort of anticlimactic for a lot of people.
I completely disagree. I love Born to Die even more than I thought I would.
If everyone five-star praised it, it would all be over for Del Rey. If she nailed her SNL performance, she’d be screwed. We have to keep her interesting because she really is quite interesting. Nobody making music right now (or ever) sounds like her. Think about it, she’s straddling a line of indie rock, pop (in all of its pedestrian lyrical glory), old-school soul, Americana and hip hop. That’s no easy feat. Plus, visually and stylistically, she is completely captivating. If I’m going to draw a comparison, Del Rey is like a k.d. lang/ Marilyn Monroe love child – with Tricky as the biological father.
Now, let’s talk about the album.
The album as a whole is a pretty clear commentary on the so-called American Dream. “National Anthem” reveals that America is about money, beauty and fame – not freedom. For a woman, not being recognized for her beauty and not being at the mercy of a sugar daddy man, makes her as good as dead. “I sing the national anthem as I stand over your body, hold you like a python” – wowza. “It’s a love story for the new age.” The lyrics of this song summarize the album’s concept pretty clearly.
Listen to “National Anthem”
Del Rey sings, “be a good baby, do what I want/ Light of my life, fire in my loins/ Gimme them gold coins” and then, “I’m not afraid to say that I’d die without him/ Who else is gonna put up with me this way/ I need you, I breathe you, I’ll never leave you” in “Off to the Races”. This song seems the most ironic as she sings in a saucy Betty Boop voice. Let’s give the girl some credit, okay? I think the tone is more biting than serious. The overarching theme of this sexy, helpless ingenue subservient to her outlaw James Dean/ “old man”/ sugar daddy is all part of the Lana Del Rey character.
I don’t see Born to Die as anti-feminist, though I get how that could be one’s first impression. But to put it in an “LA-crass” way, a man without money or a woman without good looks is an American tragedy. A beautiful girl is to a “Million Dollar Man” as a flame is to a fire. And Del Rey is all about working that to her advantage.
Yes, it sometimes sounds like “obsessive love and melancholia,” as one reviewer said, especially in songs like “Without You”, but isn’t it true that “This is What Makes Us Girls”? That “we don’t stick together/ we put love first.” Yet us girls can get what we want – be it our big, bad, handsome man and his money or Pabst Blue Ribbon on ice – we’ve got the power. How do you like me now, you big, bad man?
Look, if you’re looking for Patti Smith poeticism in the lyrics, you’re going to be disappointed. But this is pop music – some of the finest damn pop music I’ve heard in a long time.
“Radio” is awesomely fun and uplifting. (“Now my life is sweet like cinnamon/ Like a fucking dream I’m living in.”) Likewise, “Diet Mountain Dew” shows off a playful side of Del Rey, paired with expert musical production and arrangements.
Listen to “Radio”
The production throughout Born to Die is not something to overlook. I love the dramatics and it fits well with the simple lyrical concept. There’s just so much going on in the songs, so this album is never boring, even with the seemingly sad, brooding love songs.
In my opinion, the standout tracks, besides the obvious “Born to Die”, “Blue Jeans” and “Video Games”, are “Radio”, “Million Dollar Man”, “National Anthem” and “Lucky Ones”.
For a debut album from a new artist, I think Born to Die is a real success and a refreshing addition to your music library. Faked orgasm? It’ll sure fool that million dollar man. Five Fucking Stars.
SOTD: ‘Stutter’ – Yuck
January 28th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Yuck has a low-fi, 90′s garage rock sound. They have some great “noisy” songs that hearken back to Sonic Youth. At other times, as below in “Stutter”, they have a real mellow surfer rock sound. The band is from London, their accents are pretty undetectable and the musical style is sort of very American, in my opinion. Their self-titled debut album, on which “Stutter” is a part of, dropped just about a year ago in February 2011.
Song of the Day: ‘Bleak Bake’, King Krule
January 27th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Aloha, all. I just got back from an amazingly relaxing getaway in Honolulu this past week. It was a week full of playing golf by the morning, laying on the beach and surfing in 80-degree, sunny weather by noon, and Waikiki’s finest Mai Tais by 5 pm – pretty much every day! So being back now from the detached Hawaiian islands, I’m all about getting back to business.
I’m going to start by incorporating a theme for the month of February. Being it’s the short month, I’m going to post short entries every day with a new song you should check out – a ”song of the day”, if you will.
So, I feel like jumping the gun and incorporating the theme today already. I feel a little guilty, I guess, that I was away on vacation and didn’t post anything.
King Krule, ‘Bleak Bake’
King Krule, formerly, ‘Zoo Kid’, actually Archy Marshall, is only 17 years old. The red-headed Brit is freakishly talented and has a musical style that in some ways resembles the other young, dub-steppy, singer from the U.K., James Blake. Krule’s self-titled EP dropped last fall and all five songs are all five stars. His mature, deep voice contradicts the soft, jazzy elements of his music, almost as much as it does his appearance.
Girls Live at Terminal 5 Jan. 14: Review
January 16th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
As you may know, I attended a sold-out show Saturday night at Terminal 5 in NYC featuring Girls, with openers King Krule and Real Estate. Overall, it was an amazing show, and I really don’t have anything negative to say about it! One of my favorite shows that I’ve ever been to.
Maybe I should have seen the first opener, King Krule, as I’ve been into dubstep lately, but considering John sacrificed watching football to come see a band with me that he didn’t even know, we watched the 49ers beat the Saints before heading over to the venue to see the San Franciscans I had been waiting all winter to see. Also, redheads kind of freak me out.
Man, was it cold that night! Just after 8 pm we pulled up, filed into the already-packed venue and made our way to the top level near the stage. By this time, Terminal 5 was already at its 3,000 body capacity and heating up with the crowd pumped up for not only headliner Girls, but also for the second opener, neighboring Ridgewood, New Jersey’s Real Estate.
Real Estate opened their set with “Green Aisles” off of their critically acclaimed album Days, followed by their most popular and catchy song to date, “It’s Real” (see #19 on my best tracks of 2011). With that they had the crowd singing and bopping along. They also performed a particularly notable rendition of Felt’s “Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow,” which is oh, so perfect for Real Estate, and could have passed as their own (and no one there would have known). It was truly awesome.
Real Estate’s Full Set List:
Green Isles
It’s Real
Wonder Years
Out of Tune
Municipality
Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow (Felt Cover)
Easy
Fake Blues
All the Same
Finally, after what seemed like almost an hour of prepping the stage – not merely for tuning instruments – but more for meticulously tying bouquets of fresh flowers to every mic stand, on the keyboard, on the drum stage, and lining up each guitar just so, Girls took it away with “Alex” (#12 on my list). I’m not sure what to say about lead singer Christopher Owens’ denim skirt, his white, mid-calf tube socks and white sneakers, but it’s probably worth mentioning, and there was certainly some chatter about it around the place. My first thought was Kurt Cobain, but that comparison is clear without the women’s attire.
Girls is chiefly made up of Owens and bassist/ producer, Chet “JR” White, but the full ensemble included three ladies on back-up vocals, another guitarist, drummer and keyboardist. This full line-up gave the band the same richness as is on the recent album, and filled the enormous venue, even in seemingly softer songs like “Love Like a River”, “Jamie Marie” and “Saying I Love You”.
Girls was really impressive in that they managed to really rock the house, despite what most would come to expect from a band that specializes in melancholy and gets heartbreak just right. They kept their setlist mostly upbeat, and mostly from 2011′s Father, Son, Holy Ghost, but pulled in some older favorites like “Lust for Life”, “Laura” and “Hellhole Ratrace.” The encore ended with “Morning Light” – a dedication to drummer Darren Weiss, who, I believe they said, had his last show with Girls that night. After the last song, the band tossed the bouquets into the hands of the crowd and left behind only a few petals and the memory of a great show.
Girls’ Full Setlist:
Alex
Honey Bunny
My Ma
Heartbreaker
Laura
Substance
Love Live a River
Broken Dreams Club
Lust for Life
Hellhole Ratrace
Die
Vomit
Magic
Darling
Encore:
Jamie Marie
Saying I Love You
Morning Light
The view from the rooftop of Ink48 on the Westside of Manhattan near the Hudson River.
I apologize for my shoddy photography skills. I had the damn thing set on some weird blur that I was not aware of until afterward. My bad. I will do better next time!
Girls Night Out
January 14th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
So excited! Tonight I will be seeing Girls at Terminal 5 in New York. We decided to make a weekend out of it and will be staying at Ink48, a hotel in Hell’s Kitchen near the venue. I have never stayed at a hotel in New York because I live so close and usually take the train, so this is also new and exciting! I will be sure to let you know how the concert was and hopefully get some good photos to share. It’s been pretty freezing in New York lately, but it will be worth checking out this view from the rooftop of the hotel, if it’s open. I <3 New York.
Jump for Joy – Van Halen is Back!
January 10th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
If you haven’t done so already, hop on over to Van-Halen.com to check out the new single, ‘Tattoo’ from Van Halen – with David Lee Roth – out today. Or watch it right here!
This is leading up to the anticipated release of A Different Kind of Truth, the first new album from the group (with DLR) in almost 30 years, due out February 7. Van Halen will also be touring throughout the U.S. and Canada from February through June, with two dates at Madison Square Garden, Feb. 28 and March 1. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, Jan. 14 (or now if you have Amex!)
I just picked up some tickets for the Feb. 28 show with my main squeeze. Should be a good time!
‘Tattoo’ sounds a lot like what we’d expect from Van Halen, but of course slightly less mighty in the wake of time. But after all the changes in lineup and the drama that came with it, and all the talk about getting back together to record new music, the time has finally come where the loyal Van Halen fan base can rejoice. Of course, the group has Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, on bass, not Michael Anthony.
Now, we’ve got to wonder, maybe ‘Tattoo’ sounds a little too much like what we’d expect from Van Halen. It begs the question, is the new album really new music? Some, including former lead singer of the band circa 1985-1996, Sammy Hagar, say A Different Kind of Truth is composed of mainly old songs that were outtakes from earlier albums, even from the ’70s. These claims are plausible, but I guess the proof will be in the pudding. Can they still pull off a great show?
It seems yes, they can. The group played at a small venue, Cafe Wha?, in NYC last week for mostly music journalists and insiders, and the show was said to be off the hook. Here’s the classic ‘Panama’ from that show:
