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the things i've heard...

I just saw Radiohead play live. Unreal.

Posted June 19, 2006 at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)

Tonight marked the second time I was able to see Sigur Ros in concert. I say "was able to", because it was the second time I was given the chance to go to a sold out show in a friend's place last minute. And when opportunity knocks, JVH is at the door. The first go-round with the Icelanders was a ridiculous night at Calvin College in the Fine Arts Center, a not-so-big venue with big-venue sound. While my seat was better at the Calvin outing (thank you Cyndi Fecher), the presence felt by a band with such a big sound at a venue like the one played at tonight, well, it was unbelievable. Once again, this time on the day of the show, something fell through for a friend of mine, and boom: I was offered the ticket 3 hours before the concert started. The venue was the gorgeous Civic Opera House in downtown Chicago, quaintly situated between the river and Wacker Drive. The group played with an intensity that was augmented many times over by the cavern of the Opera House floor. The walls reverberated sound and reflected light, the balconies echoed the cacophony of strings and percussion coming from the stage. I was drenched, yes drenched, in sound.

Posted May 09, 2006 at 11:34 PM | Comments (1)

So I've continued to do the iPod-on-random thing for the last several days. It's lots of fun, getting hit with an unexpected favorite song or just something that randomly strikes a cord with the current mood. Here the latest list:

I feel like this list at the end is going to generate some interesting statistics about my favorite music. We shall see.

Posted April 11, 2006 at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)

So, as a slight return to posting, I have thrown down the gauntlet with my favorite albums of the y2k+5. 20 wasn't quite enough goodness, so I bumped it this year. Deal with it.

1. Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
2. Broadcast - Tender Buttons
3. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
4. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
5. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
6. Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
7. Decembrists - Picaresque
8. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock and Roll
9. M.I.A. - Arular
10. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
11. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinoise!
12. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
13. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
14. The Shortwave Set - The Debt Collection
15. My Morning Jacket - Z
16. Animal Collective - Feels
17. The Fiery Furnaces - EP
18. Edan - Beauty And The Beat
19. Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness
20. Deerhoof - The Runners Four
21. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
22. The Mountain Goats - Sunset Tree
23. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production Of Eggs
24. Dangerdoom - The Mouse And The Mask
25. Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering

Posted January 05, 2006 at 09:03 PM | Comments (0)

The Greatest

To all you who love great music, you owe it to yourself to download the new Cat Power single, The Greatest, off the her new LP of the same name. It's, well, it's just gorgeous. Here's a link. Do it.

Posted October 15, 2005 at 01:26 AM | Comments (3)

Radio Rebirth

So I don't really listen to radio all that much anymore. Radio in GR, minus the excellent WYCE 88.1 is generally subpar; I haven't had a lot desire to go back to radio since. But now things have changed: I have found a new station, and my radio listening days have come back. The station causing the commotion is The Current 89.3, out of Minneapolis. It's a Minnesota Public Radio station, just started in January. Their playlist is excellent, and they have an aacplus cd-quality internet feed. Plus, no annoying commercials, no annoying DJ's, no Howard Stern. Check their website, learn more. It's great. I have to give a holler to Bmouw for hooking me up with the goods.

Also, because they just played it, let me say that Stickshifts and Safetybelts by Cake is the greatest love song of all time.

Posted February 25, 2005 at 12:10 PM | Comments (2)

Return of the Songstress

Several weeks back I, with Liz as my accomplise, ventured down Southport street to Schuba's for a show featuring neo-songstress Jolie Holland. A kind of eclectic Norah Jones-meets-Tom Waits-in-a-pint-size-package, Holland's music is a real mild delight. Moreover, Schuba's is a great venue, with a small, wooden music hall that has a warm and intimate sound. The songstress sang with her two-piece band and played some acoustic guitar, but for one song pulled out a cigarette box guitar which was hand-crafted for her and she had electrified for concert use. Quite a treat.

Posted February 18, 2005 at 09:33 AM | Comments (0)

Ah yes, good old February 15th

Here's a tracklisting for a mix cd. For all you out there who agree me that St. Valentine brings as much frustration every year as it does joy.

1. Franz Ferdinand - Love And Destroy
2. Death From Above 1979 - Little Girl
3. Queens of the Stone Age - Sky Is Falling
4. The Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers
5. The New Pornographers - Centre For Holy Wars
6. Spoon - Jonathan Fisk
7. Hot Hot Heat - Bandages
8. The Strokes - The End Has No End
9. The Futureheads - Alms
10. Tom Waits - Hoist That Rag
11. Two Lone Swordsmen - Punches And Knives
12. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Modern Romance

Enjoy.

Posted February 15, 2005 at 06:26 PM | Comments (2)

King Geedorah | Take Me To Your Leader

Not for a good long time have I had so much fun listening to a hip-hop album. Like the cure for the common cold: MF Doom, the rap mastermind who I saw in concert not too long ago, breaks through the wave of ganster hip-pop that sweeps the country and feeds off teenage white boys listening to 50 Cent and the Game on MTV. Ish. With 2003's Take Me To Your Leader, MF Doom comes out with his King Geedorah guise to release a sci-fi storm of rapping over monster movie beats and midtempo soul. The music never takes itself too seriously, and rap tunes are interlaced with samples from old sci-fi flicks, commercials, and Foghorn Leghorn. Rule number one: keep your fazers on stun.

Posted January 17, 2005 at 03:20 PM | Comments (1)

The n.o.k. Top 20 Albums of 2004
or, You Know I'm Right MMIV

Updated!

So another wonderful year of music has come and gone, and here to recap, it's me with my first annual best-of-the-year music list. These albums listed below are my favorites from the past twelve months, and any of them would be worth your listen.

1. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
2. Black Keys - Rubber Factory
3. Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal
4. Interpol - Antics
5. Two Lone Swordsmen - From The Double Gone Chapel
6. The Arcade Fire - Funeral
7. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
8. AC Newman - The Slow Wonder
9. Death From Above 1979 - You're A Women, I'm A Machine
10. The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
11. Madvillain - Madvillainy
12. The Futureheads - The Futureheads
13. TV on the Radio - Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes
14. Iron & Wine - These Endless Numbered Days
15. The Beta Band - Heroes To Zeroes
16. Tom Waits - Real Gone
17. Air - Talkie Walkie
18. Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
19. Ambulance Ltd. - LP
20. The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives

The extended entry below will provide details on each of the listed.

1. Franz Ferdinand
   Franz Ferdinand
   Scotsmen go uptempo, burn the house down.
   Fav. track: 04 Dark of the Matinee
2. Black Keys
   Rubber Factory
   Dayton duo tighten up blues-rock recipe, with delicious results
   Fav. track: 01 When The Lights Go Out
3. Eagles of Death Metal
   Peace Love Death Metal
   Queens of the Stone Age leader hits the skins, new project does sleazy rock right.
   Fav. track: 13 San Berdoo Sunburn
4. Interpol
   Antics
   NYC group's sophomore release does not disappoint.
   Fav. track: 02 Evil
5. Two Lone Swordsmen
   From The Double Gone Chapel
   UK techno-heads make dirty electro with as many real instruments as electronics.
   Fav. track: 03 Formica Fuego
6. The Arcade Fire
   Funeral
   Album full of little epics makes for an indie rock gem.
   Fav. track: 02 Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
7. Animal Collective
   Sung Tongs
   The Beach Boys are reincarnated as a goofy troop of animal-suited harmonizers.
   Fav. track: 01 Leaf House
8. AC Newman
   The Slow Wonder
   New Pornographers frontman makes more upbeat rockin' pop tunes
   Fav. track: 07 Come Crash
9. Death From Above 1979
   You're a Women, I'm a Machine
   *Last minute entry* Canadian two-piece makes a break-up album that will rock your ass off.
   Fav. track: 11 Sexy Results
10. The Fiery Furnaces
    Blueberry Boat
    Brother, sister, and co. blow the mind with whacked-out indie rock.
    Fav. track: 01 Quay Cur
11. Madvillain
    Madvillainy
    Underground uber-producer/rapper MF Doom teams with Madlib for an essential hip-hop outing.
    Fav. track: 03 Meat Grinder
12. The Futureheads
    The Futureheads
    Garage punks n' Harmony: way better than those "meet you at the crossroads" guys.
    Fav. track: 07 Danger of the Water
13. TV on the Radio
    Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes
    Urban harmonics meet dirty electronics: results unique and beautiful.
    Fav. track: 06 Ambulance
14. Iron & Wine
    These Endless Numbered Days
    It's folk music. Yep, folk music. Good folk music.
    Fav. track: 05 Teeth In The Grass
15. The Beta Band
    Heroes To Zeroes
    Pure British awesomeness. Shortly after, the band broke up. Boo beta.
    Fav. track: 01 Assessment
16. Tom Waits
    Real Gone
    Waits keeps on coming with it. See him also in Coffee & Cigarettes.
    Fav. track: 02 Hoist That Rug
17. Air
    Talkie Walkie
    Gorgeous electronica.
    Fav. track: 07 Another Day
18. Dungen
    Ta Det Lugnt
    Beautiful musical textures. Not in english.
    Fav. track: 03 Festival
19. Ambulance Ltd.
    LP
    New Yorkers do chilled-out rcok right.
    Fav. track: 02 Primitive (The Way I Treat You)
20. The Hives
    Tyrannosaurus Hives
    The Hives are the law, you are the crime.
    Fav. track: 08 Diabolic Scheme

Posted January 11, 2005 at 10:47 AM | Comments (4)

Franz, Hives burn the damn house down

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of going to a concert featuring two of bands that I really like. I mean hey, I like a lot of bands, but going to see the Hives and Franz Ferdinand in the same night, well that's just ridiculous. The bands exhibited enough onstage energy and presense to get even the stingiest of concert goers up and excited. It was my second time seeing a show down at the Aragon Ballroom, and was every bit as good as the first show (a searing show by the Strokes with opener Kings of Leon earlier this year). Both bands enthralled a capacity crowd, and, well, it was just great to be there for it.

The Hives played the opening set, which was long for a warm-up band. Of course they're a good enough group to be headlining this show, and if they're album Tyrannosauras Hives had gotten the recognition it rightfully deserved, they would have been. But the hype about them being a great live band proved to be true, right down to lead singer Howlin' Pete Almquist's seemingly subpar grasp of the english language. His bravado on stage was polished and fun to watch, with enough swagger to envoke comparisons to that guy with the big lips who sings for that band with the moving rocks in the name. They ran through most all of their material from the new album, plus a lot of material from their seminal Veni Vidi Vicious, which is probably in my top 20 albums of all time. Cranking through tunes like Main Offender and Outsmarted at breakneck speeds warmed my heart.

They were followed by Franz Ferdinand, who, as opposed to popular thought, is not one dude named Franz Ferdinand and his backing band. The name is a clever pull from European history, which you can read more about here. They're actually a group of sporty young Scottish music dorks who've endured a monster of a year touring and have a fairly good act to show for it. The fatigue from touring was apparently so great that members of the band have 1) come to fisticuffs in recent months and 2) the bassist had returned just in time to play the show from a brief stint in the hospital. They played most all of the material out of their one album recorded catalog, along with some exciting new songs, supposedly for an upcoming LP. Great, great show.

Posted December 12, 2004 at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)

DOOM!


I returned to the intimate confines of the Abbey last night for a concert. My first hip-hop concert, actually, and it was an experience. The headliner was the best rapper you've never heard of, because he avoids the mainstream, releasing much of his material under different monikers. He is half of Madvillain. He is Viktor Vaughn. He is King Geedorah. He is Metal Fingers. He calls himself the Supervillain. The man in question is MF Doom, a Brooklyn rapper who still doesn't take hardcore rap too seriously. His various projects all feature both brilliant rhymes and expert production. Doom both raps and produces his own tracks, a rarity in today's super-producer and pop-hip-hopper duos. It's a fresh spin on the rap scene for me, most of which is dominated by ex-street hustlers talking about getting money, banging groupies, and sippin' on Cristal. This man raps about the simpler things in life: puffing on a fat spliff and the culinary arts: hence the title of his lastest album, MM...Food. Doom has more fun the other artists, and shows it: donning his signature metal mask, he took to the stage and worked the small crowd like a true showman. One thing about rap concerts that I didn't expect is the heightened crowd interaction; every stage act wants you to throw your hands in the air, and wave'em like you just don't care: many, many times. It was a very satisfying performance, and it's good to see someone out there pushing the art of hip-hop instead of the pop-culture of hip-hop, as is prevalent in your Jay-Z's, 50's, and Dr. Dre's of the music industry.

Anyone who is interested in hearing this should find themselves a copy of last years Madvilliany, which is a project from Doom and Madlib (hence the Mad-villain), Operation Doomsday, one of only two Doom releases under his own name, or Take Me To Your Leader, the sci-fi trip from King Geedorah. All excellent, all very diverse in style.

Posted November 16, 2004 at 12:15 PM | Comments (1)

Livin' it up...

I caught my first Chicago concert as a card-carrying citizen last night, the Good Life down at the quaint Abbey Pub. The venue was premium, a small irish pub with an open floor and a good draft selection. If you're not familiar with the Good Life, they are on the small yet phenomenal label Saddle Creek Records, based out of Omaha, Nebraska, and home to other great acts such as Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Cursive, whose lead singer, Tim Kasher, is also the lead singer of The Good Life. It's interesting for a songwriter to have such duality between projects, but Kasher pulls it off, going from the hard, tortured sound of Cursive, to the smoother, melodic glow from many of TGL's songs.

So it was a great show, even the second band Eva Denova, was quite good as well. To top it off, Dan and Erin made it down from Grand Rapids, and they decided to go to the show as well. Good times.

Posted October 24, 2004 at 02:20 PM | Comments (0)

Matador = Killer


If I ever had a band, I'd want that band to be represented by Matador Records. This small independent label has a ridiculous amount of talent under their flag, and an even more ridiculous list of alumni that went on to major labels. The music produced by these artists has been some of the best stuff put out in modern music since the label's inception, 15 years past. In honor of this 15 year anniversary, Matador has released Matador at 15, a tour of the labels artists during its great run. The package is value-packed enough for the most frugle of folks, with the inclusion of one greatest hits disc, one rarities and unreleased materials disc, and a music video DVD for a ludicrious 15 bucks. Yes, you read correctly. FIFTEEN. Included are favorites of mine such as Interpol and the New Pornographers, as well as strong acts such as Cat Power and Stephen Malkmus. Run out and buy it.

Posted October 22, 2004 at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)

Interpol | Antics


They brought a sound completely new to my ears with their debut, Turn On the Bright Lights. The critics replied, "well, you've never heard Joy Division." True. But to minimize just how excellent and unique a contribution Interpol has made to the contemporary music scene is simply wrong. With their first and now second release, Antics, they manage to spin a dark, aggressive sound that feels emotional yet very distant, like the boys from the band are singing the sorrows of another universe.

While TOTBL was filled with the sorrow of droning guitars and blurred vocals, Antics brings the strong tempo of the rhythm guitar to the forefront of the band's sound, with lead guitar, bass, and percussion rolling around filling out the sound. Paul Banks' vocals have also gotten tighter, giving the album a bit brighter feel. There's also a feeling of the band being more delibrate with these songs, as they seem to have an urgency that songs like Hands Away and Untitled lacked on the debut. Some may not like this fact, as the aformentioned numbers and beautifully crafted in their own right, but it is nice to see the band moving forward with their sound.

Key Tracks: (2) Evil, (5) Slow Hands
Check it if you like The Faint, Joy Division (at least that's what I'm told)
Released September 28, 2004

Further: band website
reviews on pitchfork, stylus

Posted October 09, 2004 at 04:52 PM | Comments (0)

Black Keys | Rubber Factory


Rocking out and recording it for a third time, the Black Keys decided to renovate an Akron, OH tire factory into a studio in order to record their third LP. While their two previous outtings, The Big Come Up and Thickfreakness were both excellent, Rubber Factory shows a real push in musical growth for singer/songwriter Dan Auerbach, who with every passing album, cranks out more and more expert guitar licks. His howling vocals have also improved, as well as lyrical content. Some may complain that this outting feels closer to blues-punk duo brethren White Stripes, but on the same token I beg the question, is that such a bad thing? I have enjoyed this album throughly since its release, placing among my favorite albums released this year.

Key Tracks: (1) When the Light Go Out, (4) All Hands Against His Own
Check it if you like the White Stripes, the Strokes, Mofro
Released September 7, 2004.

Further: band website
reviews on stylus, pitchfork

Posted September 20, 2004 at 05:24 PM | Comments (0)

Fiery Furnaces | Blueberry Boat


The sophomore release from Indie something-or-others The Fiery Furnaces is my first sampling of this band. Damn, it sears. Then it turns around and cools down. Then it slaps the listener in the face again. The dynamics of each song, moving from one tempo to another, from synthed out keyboards to jangling guitar and back again really make the album intriguing. Vocals are shared by female lead
singer Eleanor Friedberger and brother Matthew Friedberger, with one of the two or both adding depth to the singing in each track. The diversity of the instrumentals coupled with the diversity of the vocals make for a unique and challenging listening experience.

Key tracks: (1) Quay Cur, (5) Paw Paw Tree
Check it if you like Wilco, New Pornographers, the Castanets
Released July 13, 2004.


Further: band website
reviews at stylus, pitchfork

Posted August 09, 2004 at 03:35 PM | Comments (0)