sunday night feist:
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Live Review - Shaky Hands@the artistery
If facial hair is an accurate way to measure talent/indieishness of a band these guys would get an 11. Lets just say they are hairy. Either way these guys are good which is actually saying a lot. The whole two guitarists, one bassist, one drummer setup has severe consequences for most bands: simply that, they sound like most bands. However these guys manage to do what should be nearly impossible these days, and that is to take that line-up and come up with something sprite likes to refer to as "cool, crisp, and refreshing" (just wait until I actually get paid to write, hoh boy). Anyway, to make short story even shorter, the up-tempo half-the-time-happy-in-a-flaming-lips-sort-of-way band can rock and make you smile and jiggle around which is usually a good recipe for success.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers
While Laura Veirs has yet to explode onto the scene like Regina Spektor or Joanna Newsom, she’s quickly become one of the finest singer-songwriters of the last few years. Saltbreakers, her third full-length on Nonesuch, is full of warm, honest songs fluctuating between barebones folk and full-on rock mode. Veirs’ vocals are at once accessible and memorable and her enthusiasm is palpable. The album features a fantastic reworking of the song “Cast a Hook in Me” originally released on a 2006 Kill Rock Stars compilation. I like this album, you’ll like this album, old folks will like this album, errbody will.
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
This is a bit of an exaggeration of distaste. I wrote it for the "Reeks" half of a Rocks Vs. Reeks column. Enjoy.
Modest Mouse aren’t so modestly mousy anymore, with a number one album and expensive music videos to boot. Its just a shame that one of their worst albums is already their most popular. The band, still floating on the success of their last album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, released the single “Dashboard” weeks before the new album dropped. Teeny boppers tuned into their local top 40 station to hear a toe-tapping dance track with (the self-mutilating?!) Isaac Brock doing his usual mumbling and shouting. I’ll be honest, I like the song. All you Moon and Antarctica stalwarts need to lighten up and shake your asses. As for the rest of the album, I’ve nothing but criticisms. The first track, “March into the Sea”, is reminiscent of a Unicorns b-side. And the vocals sound like a surly boozehound being hauled off to the drunk tank. I can only assume the song “Fire it Up” is tongue in cheek, as the band crafts one of the most boring songs of the year. On “Missed the Boat” (ooh, the album has a nautical theme!!), the boys appear desperate in their attempts in incite a feel-good sing-along. There are a handful of moments on the album that hint at the now-latent greatness Modest Mouse is capable of, but these moments are few and far between. With all the hype, money, Johnny Marr, and James Mercer being stirred into the pot, I assumed the result would be something tastier than this. I was wrong.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
"How you gon be broke and your last name Price?/Thats like, sweatin bullets and your nickname ice."
Sean Price aka "The Grimey Boot Man" aka "The Brokest Rapper You Know" has a new video on myspace for "Mess You Made" probably one P's most sincere, accessible and sadly funny songs to date. check it out.
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