Indie-licious

Local favorites Hopewell wrapped up their two night mini-residency at Pianos Sunday night before preparing to hit the road once more for their upcoming Midwest and West Coast tour with The Black Angels. In the two weeks or so before heading westward, the boys will get back in the studio to work more on the follow-up to last year’s “Hopewell and The Birds of Appetite.” The show at Pianos was terrific; it was the best they’ve sounded of any of the times I’ve seen them live. Before starting, frontman Jason Russo announced that they would be recording the show that night, which only got the near-capacity crowd even more into the set, not that they needed any further reason to do so.

Keep reading for more from Sunday night.

The set was lively and energetic, with Russo dancing and jumping his way around the stage throughout the show, and they played a good mix of songs from “…Birds of Appetite” along with at least one older song from “The Curved Glass” and several new songs which will likely appear on the new album. The new songs sounded really good; they seem to be embracing the dancier rock-pop style that we saw in some songs from “Birds of Appetite” such as “Calcutta” and “Praise Twice,” but without abandoning the spacey modern psych style that they are known for. Russo played a friendly game of Name That Tune with the crowd at one point; he didn’t want us to guess the song they were playing, however, he actually wanted input on the name of one of their new songs that they had just played.

   

   

   

   

   

It was a really fun show from the start; glad I was there on a night they were recording, although no word as to when or how they plan on releasing the recorded show. Here’s hoping that after their West Coast swing they stop in the city again either before or sometime during their studio time upstate. If the few new songs we’ve heard are any indication, the new album promises to be a treat.

So as you have no doubt noticed, I haven’t been able to keep up with my album reviews at all.  I may still write up the occasional one, but it was just getting to be too time-consuming, especially with my busy show schedule.  With that in mind, I’d like to introduce a new (hopefully) weekly segment called “Finds of the Week,” where I’ll share a new band I’ve discovered; either a previously unknown opening act I really enjoyed, a new CD or some mp3’s I’ve been digging, etc.  My inaugural Find of the Week is Brooklyn’s The Fatales.

 (photo from mediaeater’s Flickr)

I caught The Fatales when they opened for Film School and Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s at Mercury Lounge.  They play a dark and dreamy atmospheric rock-pop with just enough electro-psych layered throughout.  From their Myspace page:

“Since their formation in 2002, The Fatales credits have grown to include performances at the 2006 Under the Snow Music Festival in Montreal, the 2003 & 2005 CMJ Music Marathons, the 2003 & 2004 Fort Reno Benefit Concerts in Washington, D.C., as well as support slots for artists like Stars, The Album Leaf, 22-20s, Film School, The Dresden Dolls, Starlight Mints, Goldrush, Canyon, Lake Trout, Josh Ritter, Kevin Devine, and Robert Schneider (Apples in Stereo, Elephant Six). Their 7-track EP, 2004s Pretty in Pixels, garnered critical acclaim for its glitchy, moody, atmospheric pop most commonly drawing comparisons to Interpol and Radiohead. In the week of its release, the self-produced, self-released album was the No. 14 Most Added on CMJ and after two weeks, climbed to No. 34 on the CMJ Core Charts, receiving steady airplay on 3WK.com, XM Radio, WBCNs Nocturnal Emissions hosted by legendary program director Oedipus, and even KCRW’s famed ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic.’ Splendid Magazine proclaimed The Fatales, ‘one of the best unsigned bands in the country.’”

I enjoyed their brief set prior to Margot’s performance at Mercury.  Their songs had some terrific instrumentals, the vocals were stirring and powerful, and their stage presence was confident and engaging.  They’ve got quite a lot of potential and I’m pretty surprised they are still unsigned.  Stream some songs at their Myspace (I particularly enjoy “Vanishing Act”) or right-click and save the following mp3s from their “Pretty in Pixels” EP:

• The Cosmonaut
• Ministry of Defense
• You’re Not The Lunar Type

Give them a listen, and when I hear about any additional upcoming performances, I’ll let you know.

 (cred)

Some of the Mercury Lounge crowd thinned out after Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s terrific set, but they missed an pretty impressive showing by San Francisco’s Film School.  Their self-titled album has been growing on me…Their modern psychadelia style is dark and brooding, yet reflective.  The instrumentals really jumped in their live act.  The dimly red light-washed stage set the tone for the dark and exciting set.  It was very energetic, pretty bass-heavy, but with plenty of somewhat chaotic, spacey distorted guitar, loud percussion, and trippy synth tying everything together.

Keep reading for more from Tuesday night.

 

The five-piece played a good length set, with very little breaks as several times the ending of one song would spacily blend right into the opening of the following song.  Justin LaBo’s bass was thick but very active, and he was giving Spencer Krug a run for his money in the perspiration department.  Krayg Burton’s vocals fit the dark mood, but the instrumental jams were where Film School really made their mark; you didn’t want them to end.  Standout songs from the set included “11:11″ (available to stream at their Myspace) and “On and On.”

   

   

   

Wes has more from the show at WaterCoolerGossip and Product Shop NYC.  More pictures also at Algorithm Design.

Tuesday was the second consecutive night at Mercury, for another impressive bill, shared by Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s and Film School. Up-and-coming buzz band Margot was the first up of the two. I was first looking forward to seeing how the octect would manage to all fit on the cozy Merc stage, and it was a tight squeeze, but they definitely made it work. I was really impressed by their set. I like their album “The Dust of Retreat” quite a bit, but their live show was even more impressive. The album is, for the most part, really solid, darkish low-key indie pop-rock, but I couldn’t get over how BIG they sounded in person. All the elements came together beautifully; guitar, keyboard/synth, bass, cello, trumpet, and percussion. As much as I enjoyed Film School’s set (review and pics forthcoming), Margot really stole the show Tuesday night.

   

Keep reading for more from Margot.

Frontman Richard Edwards led the eight-piece masterfully, especially considering the variety of personalities that seemed to be in play in the band. Jesse Lee’s stoic but gorgeous cello couldn’t have been in more stark contrast to Casey Tennis’ loud percussion and wild flamboyant antics, including some hilarious “interpretive dance” and other moves, shouts, and yelps that he somehow incorporated into his playing. As much as I enjoyed watching the whole band, I had to always keep at least a corner of my eye on Casey, just so I wouldn’t miss anything. It didn’t take away from the performance at all though; on the contrary, it made the experience even more fun and entertaining.

Standout numbers from the set included “Vampries In Blue Dresses,” “Skeleton Key,” and “Quiet As A Mouse,” all of which are available for streaming at Margot’s Myspace. Definitely a band to keep your eyes and ears open for.

   

   

Wes has more pics and reviews at Product Shop and WaterCoolerGossip.

Frog Eyes was the final act of the Monday night bill with Beirut and Sunset Rubdown. It seemed only about half the crowd from the first two acts stuck around for them, and even though my legs and feet were already killing me at that point, I wanted to check them out, never having seen them live before. It was decent; Spencer was terrific on keyboards again, although didn’t look like he was having as much fun as during the Rubdown set. Frontman Carey Mercer was completely nuts, and his incomprehensiblly barked and squealed vocals didn’t really do it for me, although musically I liked what they did. Some of his spasmy riffs were a little much too.

A little more from Frog Eyes after the jump.

I wondered at first why all four members of the band were set up to stage right of center, until realizing that Mercer needed the whole other side of the stage to himself during his freak-outs. Like I said, it wasn’t totally my thing, but maybe I’m not giving them a totally fair shake since it was right after a very good Beirut set and an utterly brilliant Sunset Rubdown set. But plenty of people there were loving it though.

   

Charles Bissell of The Wrens was in attendence for the show, although I’m not sure if he was there for the earlier sets as well.

Mercury Lounge was just as packed after Beirut’s set Monday night with people clamoring to see Spencer Krug’s Sunset Rubdown.  I’ve been really enjoying their album “Shut Up I Am Dreaming” since its release, and after seeing Spencer with Wolf Parade at Webster last month, I was really looking forward to getting up close and personal in the cozy confines of Mercury.  But as much as I liked the album, this greatly exceeded my lofty expectations.  The show was absolutely amazing.  The whole band was quite good, but Spencer was just mesmerizing; watching someone who is really a master of his craft in his element was truly a privelege.

Keep reading for more pics and the rest of my review.

Starting the set with a stripped-down, piano-only version of “I’ll Believe In Anything” (also played with Wolf Parade), Spencer immediately set the tone that this would be a much different show than than we saw from him with W.P.  But for a stripped-down performance, the sound was just huge.  But as terrific as he was, the show wasn’t all about Spence.  Jordan Robson Cramer and Mike Doerkson switched off playing guitar and drums, and each gentleman brought a unique style to each instrument, which made the show even more interesting.  And Camilla Wynne Ingr’s backing vocals, along with her synth work and the other various musical toys she used, complimented Spencer’s voice and keyboard very well.

   

Spencer’s perspiratory activities were a light topic of conversation a few times during the show; once when a fan behind cleverly shouted “Don’t sweat it, Spencer!” between two songs, and again when he explained (as wiping his brow) that he had to be careful, because he was also to be playing later with Frog Eyes, and didn’t want sweat dripping on his keyboard and breaking it.  Poor guy.  But honestly, I can’t see him in a bandana.

   

   

Prior to playing “They Took A Vote And Said No” (one of the best songs of the evening), Spencer pulled out the accordian for the only song in which he used it.  It was too cute; this rickety old taped-together accordian looked about a hundred years old, as if it had been passed down through the family or something.  It sounded great though.

   

It was a terrific set from start to finish; I didn’t want the show to end.  Unfortunately only had tickets to one of the two nights…but how thrilled am I that I’ll get to see them again in Chicago at the Pitchfork preparty along with other favorites Voxtrot and The Joggers?  That weekend keeps getting better…

It was round two for Beirut in New York at Mercury Monday night. Zach Condon and company scored the opening gig for the very impressive triple bill shared with Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes, and it was by far the most packed I’ve ever seen Merc for a first act. At their last show at Knitting Factory, there were technical difficulties a-plenty, including problems amplifying and tuning the ukeleles, so I was anxious to see how Beirut’s live act has progressed since. Their progress over the course of about two weeks was nothing short of stunning.

Keep reading for more.

The set, while brief, was much tighter, and more polished and smooth, while still maintaining much of the friendly, casual banter that is part of Zach’s personality. The violin Monday (which was absent at Knitting Factory) made a huge difference; the songs sounded much richer and more complete than they had two weeks ago.  Also, brand new ukeleles pretty much eliminated the tuning issues.  The trumpet really popped, filling the Lounge with with its rich sound.  “Postcards…” and “Mt. Wroclai” sounded great again, and they also played a couple songs that weren’t on the album.

Condon, realizing that many in the audience had seen (or at least read about) the last show, took it in stride, and poked fun at himself a bit; when he announced their final song, someone shouted “You played longer last time!” to which he responded that it only seemed that way because they didn’t need to take five minutes between songs to tune up.  It was definitely a much-improved performance in all aspects, and I really look forward to watching Zach and the band continue to grow over the next couple months.

   

   

Future scheduled shows include:

• June 8, Joe’s Pub with The Wiyos
• June 20, Northsix with A Hawk and A Hacksaw
• July 21, Bowery Ballroom with Jens Lekman

 

I returned home from my brother’s graduation in Vermont just in time to head down to Webster Hall to catch one of my favorite live acts, The National.  This of course was the show that was announced to be at Bowery Ballroom, but after selling out in a hurry, it was moved to the larger Webster Hall.  BV had a good summary of the drama that ensued.  I was excited anyway; I’ve seen them a couple times in the past year, once when Clap Your Hands Say Yeah opened for them at Warsaw (even though half the crowd left after CYHSY), and again when they headlined the Plug Awards at Webster, and each time they put on a fantastic show.  Sunday night was no exception.

Keep reading for more from Sunday.

Webster Hall acoustics aside, the show was terrific; full of energy from start to finish as Matt Berninger and company stormed through much of the material from “Alligator” as well as some of their favorite older songs to perform live; plus a few new numbers to give us a taste of what the guys have been working on.  Hard-rocking songs like “Abel” and “Mr. November” had the crowd jumping, dancing, and shouting along, while the audience hushed to appreciate to the subtle brilliance of soft, sentimental numbers such as ”Wasp Nest” and “Daughters of the SoHo Riots.”  Berninger seemed in an almost trance-like state much of the time, but this served to draw the audience in even more.  They played several new songs which I liked a lot, including one that they are currently fighting over the name about: either “Fishbowl” or “Fruitbowl.”  Either way, it was a really good song.  The set was fairly long, particularly for a show of its pace and energy, but still just flew by.  The National are one of the most consistently solid live acts today, and I’d see them any chance I got (in any venue…although that show would have been amazing at Bowery).  Next time will be at Pitchfork in July; till then I suppose “All the wine is all for me.”  Pics below…

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

I was more than ready to Do The Whirlwhind when Australia’s Architecture in Helsinki played the Avalon Thursday night. I loved last year’s album “In Case We Die” and missed their last trip through the city, so I’d been looking forward to this for a while. I had no idea what to expect from their live act, apart from total insanity, and it was as wild as I could have imagined. The octet traded places on stage (and in some cases instruments) throughout the set; it was almost as exhausting keeping up with them as I’m sure it was for them to perform. The crowd was really into the show, which was primarily songs from “In Case We Die,” but with a few old and new songs sprinkled throughout the set, as well.

Keep reading for more from Thursday night, including a few surprises from the afterparty!

The energy from the band and from the crowd was through the roof the entire night.  Cameron Bird’s vocals were terrific, and he did a truly remarkable job of keeping all the elements together.  It was certainly a sight to behold.  Some of the highlights of the show included the performances of “The Cemetary”, “It’s 5!”, and “Do The Whirlwind” which ended the set.  I did feel quite old at one point when Cameron announced he’d be dedicating a song to several kids in the audience who had apparently skipped their senior prom to be at the show; even proceeding to invite one couple onstage to dance so it would feel more prom-like for them.  He then told them that John Hughes would be making a movie about them someday, but I’m quite sure most of them were too young to have actually seen any John Hughes films.

 

    

 

 

 

 

I was extremely impressed when Jamie Mildren left her synth post to run offstage, then reappear in the balcony to toss down some confetti, then run back down to the stage, seemingly in the matter of seconds.  The confetti was a nice touch though, and added to the festive atmosphere (especially for the prom kids)…

   

The show was just a blast from start to finish…soooooo glad i was able to catch them this time.  Definitely looking forward to hearing what AiH has in store for us next.  But after making our way out of Avalon, it was down to the Cake Shop for the little afterparty.  The Woggles were still playing in the basement by the time we got there, and they were actually pretty good!  I’d put them in a similar category as The Undisputed Heavyweights, in that they were all quite talented musicians, but with a real party-band mentality.  We only caught the last couple songs of their set, but they seemed like they put on a pretty fun show.

Met and talked to a couple members of AiH once they arrived at Cake Shop, and also saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Alec Ounsworth (I’m pretty sure he and a few other members of the band had been at Avalon for the show earlier) and chatted with him for a while too,  He couldn’t have been more gracious or down to earth.  Unfortunately I had an early train to catch the next morning, otherwise I would’ve loved to stay and hang with the bands till they kicked us out.  All in all it was a pretty great evening though.

UPDATE: Amrit has more at Village Indian and Stereogum.

I’m already behind on my posts (due to being out of town for my brother’s graduation…Congrats again), and will likely fall further behind in the coming days, so I’ll just give a quick review of what’s been going on, and what to expect later this week. So Thursday night I caught Architecture in Helsinki at Avalon, and they put on a wild, fun fun show. It seemed like watching some kind of obscure ridiculous Olympic team sport as much as the octet was running around stage, trading off instruments, etc. Following the show, I headed down to the Cake Shop for the AiH afterparty where The Woggles were still playing downstairs; met and chatted with a few members of AiH, and ran into Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Alec Ounsworth, who couldn’t have beeen nicer, and spoke with him for a bit about their Bowery shows, and what the next couple of months have in store for CYHSY.

Last night, it was The National at Webster. This of course was the show originally scheduled to be at Bowery, but was switched when it sold out quicker than expected. They were terrific; one of the most consistently good live acts today. They played some really good new songs, including “Fishbowl” or “Fruitbowl” depending on who wins the fight for what to name it. It was a relatively long set, but really flew by. Very empassioned performance. Would it have been better at Bowery? Probably. Was it still a really great show? Definitely.

Tonight it’s the HUGE Beirut, Sunset Rubdown, and Frog Eyes three-for-all at Mercury. What a line-up. This promises to be an amazing night. Then tomorrow also at Mercury I’ll be seeing up-and-comers Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s and Film School. I’ve enjoyed both of their recent albums and am looking forward to this show a lot too.

That’ll probably be it for a couple days, so I promise to get back with more complete reviews and pics for all the above mentioned shows as soon as I can, so make sure to check back in.