Lately, nothing has felt as revitalizing as the triumvirate from London, England. At Bonnaroo, The XX's show was fresh and invigorating. Long, dreamy guitar breaks were enough to make your head spin with delight. The experience was euphoric.
The three band mates came on stage and started playing their album's beginning track, purposefully entitled "Intro." It set a wonderfully eerie pace for the show. You could see white X's that were illuminated through lights of dark blues and purples that darkened the stage.
When the first notes of "Crystalized" were heard, every person in the big, white tent got a jult of energy. They danced to every note. With great bass lines weaving their way through the sounds from the guitar, they sang "Do I have to keep up the pace to keep you satisfied?" As the song spiraled and picked up speed, it met an end with a request to "go slow, go slow" where the crowd seemed to heed their every command.
The ominous drone of chords opposing the voices of guitarist Romy Madley Croft and Bassist Oliver Sim was truly fantastic. When the two sang, they had an almost deadly-it's-so-beautiful combination. Oliver, who began "Fantasy" with vocals mixed between speaking and singing, illustrated a dark, outer realm unlike any place music has taken me before. It gave me chills.
Romy's voice is of a soothing quality that brings the Icelandic group Múm to mind. The slight hint of sadness in her voice when she sang "Infinity" reminded me of the whimpering, emotional vocals of Cocorosie. The way she played that guitar, so filled with emotion, gave me an ache in my chest. The song built as she answered Oliver by repeating over and over that she just "can't give it up." But "VCR" concluded the show on a cheery note with beats by Jamie Smith that reminded me of a child's lullaby. The other-worldliness of the show left me speechless. The XX show was worth the entire price of the Bonnaroo admission ticket.
Monday, September 27, 2010
The London Souls at Bowery Ballroom
The London Souls are it. And by 'it' I mean the long awaited answer to the question: What ever happened to pure, straight up rock'n'roll? - The London Souls are it. The New York City based trio have given people a reason to be excited about music in a way that hasn't been, shall I say, "experienced" since the likes of Hendrix or Sly and The Family Stone. Within their tight rock'n'roll tracks, there is a blend of blues and soul (reminiscent of The Black Keys).
When I saw them tuning up on stage at the Bowery Ballroom, I couldn't contain my excitement. I have seen so many great bands at the venue, and, having seen The Souls before, knew they would blow the place to bits with their tumultuous sound. They were in control from the second they started playing their opener, appropriately titled "The Sound."
Guitarist/Singer Tash Neal tore through his instrument with such grace, unlike anything I have ever seen before. I watched in awe at the soulful, emotional expressions on his face as though they were yearning to define the notes he was playing. His psychedelic, soulful voice had every single person in the crowd moving as drummer Chris St. Hilaire would howl in response and bassist Kiyoshi Matsuyama jammed along. A handful of the songs they played had a sound similar to that of Led Zeppelin or Cream. "Under Control" began with a bang and slowed in the middle to an A Capella three-part harmony that was entirely mesmerizing.
When Kiyoshi took to the mic, he gave the set a lighter sound, but not whimsical enough to break out of the rock'n'roll mold. They blended in lyrics from songs like "Within You, Without You" in the midst of a jam session that extended over six minutes in length. The three of them together are a sight to behold. They completely mastered their instruments. They exuded a genuine 60's-esque vibe from their threads to their personas; but they're dripping with originality.
The show left me mentally exhausted but wanting more. The crowd wanted more, too. The applause the band received lasted well after they had concluded their set. After the show, they were completely drained as they lay amongst the couch cushions back stage. They pour everything inside of themselves into their performances and it showed.
The Band's first album, recorded with producer Ethan Johns at Abbey Road Studios, is set to come out in early 2011. Their captivating sound will hook you in before you have a chance to escape it. The London Souls will introduce you to what you've been missing out on.
When I saw them tuning up on stage at the Bowery Ballroom, I couldn't contain my excitement. I have seen so many great bands at the venue, and, having seen The Souls before, knew they would blow the place to bits with their tumultuous sound. They were in control from the second they started playing their opener, appropriately titled "The Sound."
Guitarist/Singer Tash Neal tore through his instrument with such grace, unlike anything I have ever seen before. I watched in awe at the soulful, emotional expressions on his face as though they were yearning to define the notes he was playing. His psychedelic, soulful voice had every single person in the crowd moving as drummer Chris St. Hilaire would howl in response and bassist Kiyoshi Matsuyama jammed along. A handful of the songs they played had a sound similar to that of Led Zeppelin or Cream. "Under Control" began with a bang and slowed in the middle to an A Capella three-part harmony that was entirely mesmerizing.
When Kiyoshi took to the mic, he gave the set a lighter sound, but not whimsical enough to break out of the rock'n'roll mold. They blended in lyrics from songs like "Within You, Without You" in the midst of a jam session that extended over six minutes in length. The three of them together are a sight to behold. They completely mastered their instruments. They exuded a genuine 60's-esque vibe from their threads to their personas; but they're dripping with originality.
The show left me mentally exhausted but wanting more. The crowd wanted more, too. The applause the band received lasted well after they had concluded their set. After the show, they were completely drained as they lay amongst the couch cushions back stage. They pour everything inside of themselves into their performances and it showed.
The Band's first album, recorded with producer Ethan Johns at Abbey Road Studios, is set to come out in early 2011. Their captivating sound will hook you in before you have a chance to escape it. The London Souls will introduce you to what you've been missing out on.
Friday, July 23, 2010
MewithoutYou's It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's...
The Philadelphia-based mewithoutYou, first enlightened me with their 2002 debut album A --> B Life. They were loud and rough around the edges. Aaron Weiss' unrelenting cries to God, to people, and to all of us were heard and very greatly appreciated. Weiss' fantastically clever and unique writing style backed by an incredibly strong group of musicians was solid, untouchable matter.
With Catch For Us The Foxes, they were only beginning to perfect and mold themselves into something bigger and better with tracks like "January 1979" and "Torches Together". The follow up to this album would in my opinion, be their masterpiece. 2006's Brother, Sister is one of my favorite records ever made. The beautiful precision with which the tracks flow never ceases to impress the liveliness out of me. "Messes of Men" and "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains" being only two magical examples.
So when it came time for the bands fourth album, It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright, I thought they could do no wrong. But the edgy, intense cries of all that makes up mewithoutYou had vanished upon listening to their newest tunes. They replaced their old songs with nothing more than children's folk songs.
When mewithoutYou played in the basement of their hometown's First Unitarian Church this past December, they played a set consisting mostly of songs from the first three albums that crowds go wild over. When it came time for the songs from the new record, the band played them well, but they were definitely the weaker portion of their always tight shows.
A blissful keyboard resonating with sounds of jubilee in "Every Thought A Thought of You" is the first thing you encounter when you put the new album on for a listen. The promise of an electric guitar is heard every so often, but this is as intense as it will get. On "The Fox, The Crow and The Cookie" you get introduced to brass instruments which give it an indie/Beirut-esque twist that you're not sure if you're okay with (Like when a child tries a new food and grimaces without deciding yet if it's actually yummy or not.)
The lyrics to almost every song on the new album lacked luster, to say the least. This was incredibly upsetting to me since one of the greater parts of mewithoutYou are Aaron Weiss' incredible words. "Timothy Hay" starts out with soothing "do, do, do's" that confuse you a bit. Then there is a chorus of what seems like a choir exclaiming "what a beautiful God there must be." Although we are aware of the topic of God being present in their songs, their completely opposite approach on the musical arrangements makes this album sound just like my little nephew's bible sing-a-long tapes.
The last few songs speak of nothing other than forest animals. They end the album with "Allah, Allah, Allah" that I could swear is an actual child's tune that I just can't remember the name of. Trumpets find their way into the song as well and top off what is by far the folkiest of all that mewithoutYou never was. I hope that this is just a minor blemish on an otherwise great band and that they will find a steady ground to build something bigger and better than this album in the future.
With Catch For Us The Foxes, they were only beginning to perfect and mold themselves into something bigger and better with tracks like "January 1979" and "Torches Together". The follow up to this album would in my opinion, be their masterpiece. 2006's Brother, Sister is one of my favorite records ever made. The beautiful precision with which the tracks flow never ceases to impress the liveliness out of me. "Messes of Men" and "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains" being only two magical examples.
So when it came time for the bands fourth album, It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright, I thought they could do no wrong. But the edgy, intense cries of all that makes up mewithoutYou had vanished upon listening to their newest tunes. They replaced their old songs with nothing more than children's folk songs.
When mewithoutYou played in the basement of their hometown's First Unitarian Church this past December, they played a set consisting mostly of songs from the first three albums that crowds go wild over. When it came time for the songs from the new record, the band played them well, but they were definitely the weaker portion of their always tight shows.
A blissful keyboard resonating with sounds of jubilee in "Every Thought A Thought of You" is the first thing you encounter when you put the new album on for a listen. The promise of an electric guitar is heard every so often, but this is as intense as it will get. On "The Fox, The Crow and The Cookie" you get introduced to brass instruments which give it an indie/Beirut-esque twist that you're not sure if you're okay with (Like when a child tries a new food and grimaces without deciding yet if it's actually yummy or not.)
The lyrics to almost every song on the new album lacked luster, to say the least. This was incredibly upsetting to me since one of the greater parts of mewithoutYou are Aaron Weiss' incredible words. "Timothy Hay" starts out with soothing "do, do, do's" that confuse you a bit. Then there is a chorus of what seems like a choir exclaiming "what a beautiful God there must be." Although we are aware of the topic of God being present in their songs, their completely opposite approach on the musical arrangements makes this album sound just like my little nephew's bible sing-a-long tapes.
The last few songs speak of nothing other than forest animals. They end the album with "Allah, Allah, Allah" that I could swear is an actual child's tune that I just can't remember the name of. Trumpets find their way into the song as well and top off what is by far the folkiest of all that mewithoutYou never was. I hope that this is just a minor blemish on an otherwise great band and that they will find a steady ground to build something bigger and better than this album in the future.
Sharon Van Etten's Because I Was In Love
The first time I heard Sharon Van Etten, she quietly stepped on stage as the opening act for The Antlers at Bowery Ballroom in 2009. She looked quite nervous playing before an audience that had no idea who she was, but later expressed her joy that she hadn't had "any fruit thrown" at her yet.
Fruit throwing wasn't the only thing out of mind; everything beside Sharon wasn't important while she was up there playing to a completely silent audience. Captivated, I bought her debut album Because I Was In Love after the show. The title was perfectly fitting because every song stemmed from a relationship that had irrevocably ended.
This album isn't just a sappy break up record; it's filled with depth, amazing harmonies and overflows with emotion. A Brooklyn Native, Sharon isn't unlike the recognizable folk voices of Alela Diane or Dana Falconberry. The songs don't have much more than acoustic guitar pluckings, child-like murmurs and heart-wrenching lyrics. The song, "Consolation Prize" is the one that had prompted me to buy her album. She belts at the top of her lungs and seems to promise to herself that she "will never be your consolation prize." An otherwise small, shy girl commands complete attention the second she raises her angelic voice.
The song "Tornado" is one of the strongest lyrical pieces on the album. As she sobbingly sings "I'm a tornado. You are the dust, you're all around, and you're inside," she knows it's almost impossible to get rid of the person she loved. It depicts destruction and wreckage inside of her. As intense as the lyrics seem to be, the music backing them is ironically passive, symbolic of the attitude she may have possesed while dealing with these emotions.
Sharon has the power to soothe you, making this by far one of the greatest fall-asleep-to records. It also has the power to make you cry. She released all of her hurt and angst onto a beautiful record. A way to heal. And that is what this album does for it's listeners... it heals.
Fruit throwing wasn't the only thing out of mind; everything beside Sharon wasn't important while she was up there playing to a completely silent audience. Captivated, I bought her debut album Because I Was In Love after the show. The title was perfectly fitting because every song stemmed from a relationship that had irrevocably ended.
This album isn't just a sappy break up record; it's filled with depth, amazing harmonies and overflows with emotion. A Brooklyn Native, Sharon isn't unlike the recognizable folk voices of Alela Diane or Dana Falconberry. The songs don't have much more than acoustic guitar pluckings, child-like murmurs and heart-wrenching lyrics. The song, "Consolation Prize" is the one that had prompted me to buy her album. She belts at the top of her lungs and seems to promise to herself that she "will never be your consolation prize." An otherwise small, shy girl commands complete attention the second she raises her angelic voice.
The song "Tornado" is one of the strongest lyrical pieces on the album. As she sobbingly sings "I'm a tornado. You are the dust, you're all around, and you're inside," she knows it's almost impossible to get rid of the person she loved. It depicts destruction and wreckage inside of her. As intense as the lyrics seem to be, the music backing them is ironically passive, symbolic of the attitude she may have possesed while dealing with these emotions.
Sharon has the power to soothe you, making this by far one of the greatest fall-asleep-to records. It also has the power to make you cry. She released all of her hurt and angst onto a beautiful record. A way to heal. And that is what this album does for it's listeners... it heals.
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