Fleet Foxes Live At The Tower Theater - 5/21/2011

The first sound to resonate out into the Tower Theater audience once the newly six-piece Fleet Foxes assembled on stage for the sold-out final show of their U.S. tour was a surprise - not some striking four part harmony a la past set opener "Sun Giant" or "Sun It Rises," which started off the band's debut EP and self-titled LP respectively, but the gentle jangling of two guitars. Choosing to open with new instrumental "The Cascades" was probably a self-aware acknowlegement of the band's heavy use of multi-tiered vocals, which could be deemed gimmicky if they weren't so damn breathtaking. The opener swelled with the addition of the rest of the Fleexes and subsided to end symmetrically in volume, giving way to driving Helplessness Blues closer "Grown Ocean."

From there, the Sub Pop sophomores played the majority of their catalogue, omitting only two tracks from the new LP and not much more from everything else. New songs like "Sim Bala Bim", "Battery Kinzie" and the momumentous "The Shrine/An Argument" sounded at home among popular favorites "Mykonos" and "Drops In The River." HB opener "Montezuma" seamlessly trasitioned into "oldie" "He Doesn't Know Why."

A few songs were slightly tweaked, too. "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" was transformed from a naked acoustic guitar and vocal ballad to a full band arrangement with a jazz-influenced drum cadence evocative of Radiohead's "Pyramid Song." "Your Protector" featured two flutes played by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Casey Wescott and new multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson, who also augmented the band's sound when needed with an alto clarinet, upright bass, fiddle and more.

Lead singer/guitarist Robin Pecknold's startling tenor could fill the entire auditorium on its own (in the past he's sung "Oliver James" unmiced) but the band's crafty use of musical peaks and valleys make their crescendos seem that much more beautifully massive. In fact, the band's live sound on the whole is much less restrained than their studio albums; during several climactic moments, drummer/vocalist J. Tillman hit only cymbals and nary a drumhead for four whole bars or more. Skyler Skjelset rotated between lead guitar and mandolin while the appearance of bassist/vocalist Christian Wargo's Höfner usually signified an older tune was next.

Other highlights included "Lorelai", which uses a 3/4 time signature to achieve an old-timey antiquated feel, perrenial set closer "Blue Ridge Mountains," and "Blue Spotted Tail" - if you sang this lullaby to your newborn every night, it'd probably grow up to be the greatest person in the world.

While there is not exactly much stage presence that can be easily derived from folk-pop (sorry, no marxophone power slides), the band had great audience interaction during breaks between songs - and they're actually pretty funny. Someone shouted, "You fucking rock!" and a band member immediately responded "Really? You should try AC/DC." At times, inaudible (but probably lame) shout-outs became nearly unbearable, but Tillman laughed them off, equating them to "a physical manifestation of an internet comment board." At one point, someone gave Pecknold a t-shirt with a snowflake on it that said "I'm Unique," a reference to the lyrics of title track "Helplessness Blues."

It's been noted that the singer's lyrical style has shifted from a vague extroversion involving nature to a more personal and explicit tone. A girl in front of me who must not have heard the new album yet let out a genuine involuntary chortle of empathetic understanding (and maybe a little commiseration?) after he sang HB's first line: "So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter. Now what does that say about me?" Witnessing that was very touching.

While I've never really been fond of seated concerts, with so many subtlties in the music, I was happy to not deal with the standard distractions of standing in a crowd - the ridiculously tall guy who always ends up in front of me, the fat shirtless dude rubbing his sweat against me, the obnoxious tween texting and talking incessantly - and be audiologically and visually unimpeded for this show in particular. A couple other observations... Someone give their sound guy a fucking medal - you hear exactly the right amount of everything you're supposed to, nothing drowned out and nothing overpowering. One suggestion would be that, though of course the music speaks for itself, the band could always benefit from more dynamic lighting or the presence of some sort of stage aesthetic.

As the band closed their encore with "Helplessness Blues," the audience gave a standing ovation. The houselights came on and everyone filed out as Love's "The Red Telephone" played over the PA. I was thinking to myself how amazing it would be if Fleet Foxes ever released a live album when it occured to me that (at the risk of hyperbole) someday their music might be viewed in the same light as Forever Changes. As I walked outside into the dark, Arthur Lee hypnotically recited, "They're locking him up today, they're throwing away the key. I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?"

Here's a couple videos I recorded:

The Strokes Live At Madison Square Garden - 4/1/2011

This past weekend, I took the Keystone 646 to the grundle of Manhattan, Penn Station, to witness two amazing performances in two nights at Madison Square Garden (more on the last LCD show later).  After getting in early enough to catch Rubber in it's limited-to-NY/LA opening weekend, devour a coconut tiger shrimp num pang, pick up the new Flaming Lips/Neon Indian collaborative 12" at Other Music, and sip a few $4 pilsners at D.B.A.'s happy hour, I headed to back up to midtown for one of a handful of Strokes shows (most are actually festival appearances) scheduled to promote their latest album. 

By the time I found the poorly marked general admission entrance on 8th and 33rd and navigated the labyrinthine hallways connecting it to the pit, it was already 8:30.  I'd already seen Devendra Banhart open for MGMT over the summer so missing him was NBD, but technicians were soundchecking a decidedly un-Strokes like set-up of equipment - uncentered drum kit, only one guitar, and a prominently placed keyboard.  Thinking the opening act had just been delayed, I tried to remember what their stage set-up had been.  But before I could think too much, the lights dimmed and fucking Elvis Costello took the stage with his band (are they still considered The Attractions?), greeting the burgeoning crowd, "Happy April Fool's!"  Their unexpected set was abbreviated to three songs - "Pump It Up"/"Radio Radio"/"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding" - but its aim was true.  The energy of the driving keys and rhythm section brought even those in the nosebleeds to their feet.  Donning his trademark shades and a bright red fedora, Costello impressed on both the guitar and microphone.  Unlike many singers his age, his immediately recognizable voice has been mercifully spared of erosion over time.  The surprise set was like an injection of pure adrenaline into the crowd, but the show was just getting started.

The young crowd was beginning to get restless, halfheartedly starting slow claps and lame chants, as roadies tuned and leveled the main act's equipment while Twin Shadow songs played over the PA.  Soon enough, the fellows got down to business, appropriately starting things of with debut album opener "Is This It."  I peripherally noticed the bright red cherries of at least ten joints (Really? They seem like much more of a stimulant or hard booze band) in a ten foot radius as everyone in the arena sang along to every single word.  Things got a lot faster/louder/rowdier with "Reptilia" and the band rarely let their collective foot off the gas, effortlessly churning out hit after hit (Jesus, they already have enough for the inevitable RCA greatest hits cash grab).  See video below for new single "Under Cover Of Darkness."  


They played presumed closer "Last Nite" fifth; this was when things started to get smelly in the tight GA section.  Somewhere in the middle of the blahness of new song "Life Is Simple In The Moonlight," singer Julian Casablancas left the stage and plunged into the crowd, eager to get a whiff for himself.  Crazy tweens (they audience was pretty young - not sure if Is This It could've made much of an impression on someone who was eight at the time) were actually pushing to leave their primo spots in the front for the chance to possibly touch the singer as he made his way around the side and to the back of the pit; those of us not suffering from Teen Beat blood lust where quick to take their spots.  I was resigned to just watching the band (not going to speculate on the symbolism of their separation from the singer) as they started "Juicebox" when the crowd around me became increasingly restless.  Turning, I noticed the spotlight on Casablancas was coming right in my direction, and in perfect timing with the first chorus, I felt your boy's arm around my shoulder.  With everyone around us pushing and clawing at his disheveled leather jacket, the two of us sang "Why don't you come over here?  We've got a city to love." He pressed on to the security of the stage, but not before the internet-age fanboy in me could get a quick Magic Eye snapshot:

I'm sure a lot of attendees were confused as to why the band insisted on incorporating Angles lowlight "You're So Right" into the set, but the smelly fucker in front of me who was so obviously rolling didn't seem to mind as he waved two fully extended peace signs back and forth above his head for the song's duration.  A giant disco ball (possibly a loner from LCD?) dropped for the beautiful "Under Control."  

The crowd sang along violently to 9/11 black-listed "New York City Cops", ensuring that the terrorists would not win that night.  Casablancas quipped that main set closer "Taken For A Fool" was their Costello song and jokingly sang a line in an impressively spot-on D.P. MacManus imitation, joking that they should've planned on playing it with the surprise opener.  April Fool's again, bitch - they totally did plan it!  The two traded lines as the audience documented the collaboration.

Starting the five song encore on a subdued note with lead guitarist Nick Valensi on a synthesizer and Albert Hammond on restrained accompanying guitar, Casblancas sang "Ask Me Anything" for "the first time in a while."  A surprising live standout was new song "Gratisfaction" - if "Taken Fool A Fool" is their Costello homage, they certainly had Queen in mind for this one, especially for the rare everyone-sings chorus of "You're never gonna get this love."  The Strokes closed apropos with debut album closer "Take It Or Leave It" as Casblancas again hung out in the audience (handicapped section actually) for the majority of the tune.  This is probably my favorite song of theirs so it left me with a particularly good taste in my mouth.  Going into the show, I was interested to see whether their stage presence would reflect the sense of ennui that is wed to their definition-of-cool image.  I certainly wasn't asking for them to bust out any tired rock star moves or poses, and they didn't, save for a few Valensi solos atop the monitors which were still in the realm of good taste.  Instead, they managed to at least look like they were having fun while playing one of the tightest, heavy-hitting, low-on-filler shows I've seen in awhile.

Setlist:
Is This It
Reptilia
Under Cover Of Darkness
Hard To Explain
Last Nite
Life Is Simple In The Moonlight
Juicebox
Someday
You’re So Right
Under Control
You Only Live Once
New York City Cops
Games
What Ever Happened?
Taken For A Fool (With Elvis Costello)
Encore:

Ask Me Anything
The Modern Age
Gratisfaction
I Can’t Win
Take It Or Leave It

Cults - Go Outside 7"

Before signing to Columbia this past November, New York implants Cults had only released a handful of songs, including the first offering from Forest Family Records and a contribution to the Adult Swim Singles Program.  The band is a polygamous marriage of Motown, '60s girl groups, and The Ramones circa 1980, falling somewhere between contemporary acts Tennis and The Asteroids Galaxy Tour.  Now their new label has eased the wait for their debut album with a reissue of their first single, "Go Outside" - a limited run of 1,000 pieces on white vinyl with a new b-side, a remix by The 2 Bears.  Since the main version of was released over a year ago, I'll concentrate on this reworking.

Slowed down from a bossa nova-ish shuffle to a tempo more suitable for head nodding, the remix begins with a gospel organ playing the main melody and a Jim James voiceover (get it? Cults!) before its only real misstep, an unnecessary and cliched "2 Bears Remix" shout-out.  A heavier beat with echoed snare/snaps and "Funky Drummer"-as-reinterpreted-by-Norman-Cook fills comes in while the band's trademark glockenspiel offers melodic accompaniment.  Gone is the original syncopated lumbering guitar/bass line; in its place are buried tremolo reverberations and a brief steel-drum-imitating guitar solo.  Singer Madeline Follin's vulnerable soprano remains amplified, soaring over the mix with a confidence mirrored in the lyrics ("I know what's good, exactly cause I have been there before.")  Additionally, 2 Bears have arranged "oh-way-oh" backing vocals which are accented by surprisingly fitting 'It Takes Two" 'Woo's.  

If the original mix evokes images of walking through a remote sunny meadow with a group of friends while sharing a joint and a Red Bull, this version moves to greater extremes on the drug continuum, Robitussin DM and MDMA.  Check out both the original and the remix below (Vevo might not allow me to embed the remix, so you may have to click on the link to view in YouTube).  

Dum Dum Girls Live at Johnny Brenda's 3/5/2011

Last night, clad in all-black vintage mini-skirts and their standard-issue hosiery, Sub Pop starlets Dum Dum Girls played a sold out show in Fishtown at Johnny Brenda's and managed to break a few hearts.

This was my first show at the bar/club and it may now be my favorite R5 venue in the city.  An oasis of amazing locally brewed beer in the middle of a dilapidated Girard Avenue neighborhood, JB's upstairs is an ideal place to see your favorite act - excellent sound system, intimate stage area, and a strikingly beautiful balcony where I decided to sit and watch, quite an anomaly for most places this small.  Highly recommended.
A parade of three opening acts each had several high points in their sets.  First was Dirty Beaches, née Alex Zhang Hungtai, who intermittently (and abrasively) sang and played guitar over prerecorded tracks and loops.  Obviously going for a Elvis/rockabilly vibe, he even paused several times to comb his pomaded hair, prompting catcalls and Arthur Fonzarelli "Eyyy!"s from the twenty percent capacity crowd.  Party Photographers were next.  The three piece band's frontwoman played bass and wore an oversized Wu-Tang C.R.E.A.M. t-shirt with tights.  After requesting "more reverb" during soundcheck, they played a handful of songs loaded with trebly walls of guitar and extremely minimal drums.  Their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" was well-recieved.  Finally, Minks were the first "band" to play - complete with an actual drum kit, keyboard, bass, and two guitars, the five-piece band wailed on Cure-ish shoegazy pop songs.  Of the three opening acts, their songs were best translated in a live setting.

By 11:30 the place was full and the ladies finally took the stage, bringing an instant wave of energy over the crowd with their standby opener, a slow and deliberate cover of "Play With Fire" with four-part harmonies.  Next, they upped the tempo with "Hey Sis" and lead singer/guitarist Dee Dee Dum Dum broke into her signature knee-bending hip-gyrating shimmy.  Video of new song "He Gets Me High" from the new EP of the same title is below.  Ballad "Take Care of My Baby" sounds like it should be a cover of an iconic Skeeter Davis song.  Other highlights included unreleased song "Teardrops", which sounds like an amalgamation of the best parts of all of their faster songs with riveting vocal breakdowns, and their encore, a polarizing heart-on-sleeve cover of The Smith's "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out."
The band played all four songs from the new release and the three originals show amazing strides in songwriting that plays off of each member's strengths.  Drummer Sandra Vu plays with a hypnotic fluidity, and she hits the sparsely arranged drums incredibly hard.  Several drum parts in older songs, notably closer "Rest of Our Lives," have been rewritten to be less repetitive and they add a new dimension.  Bassist Bambi Dum Dum is the most stationary of the quartet, but she plays with restrained ferocity and stares icily into the crow as she sings high harmonies.  Lead guitarist Jules Dum Dum is always wearing a devilish, knowing smile as she plays solos, adds understated atmospheric guitar ornamentation, and sings low harmonies.
It's been a pleasure to see the progression of their live show from their opening slot with Girls a year ago, to their larger scale opening slot with Vampire Weekend this past summer, to now, their first headlining tour stop in Philly.  They are much more loose and confident, as seen in Dee Dee's more playful singing.  Hometown heroes Reading Ranbow were spotted in the crowd; at one point singer/drummer Sarah tweeted "@dumdumgirls aren't killing it, they are breathing life into everything! Luvvvvv."  Couldn't have put it better myself.

Beach House Live At The Trocadero - 2/24/2011

The crowd was becoming anxious after brilliant freak-folk/dream-pop hybridizing opener Papercuts finished their brief set and their gear gave way that of the main act.  But the stage was not yet set - fog machines pumped massive amounts of inert gas into the air, the fog sprawling out over the monitors and among the damp congregation.  Finally, the house lights dimmed and Beach House somberly emerged from the opaque glycerin mist, methodically launching into the cryptically simple and tense "Gila" (my favorite!), a perfect appetizer for the subsequent set.  Keyboardist/singer/altbaguette Victoria Legrand's throaty mezzo-alto latched onto each syllable of the drawn out "gi-la-ah-ah-ah-ah"'s of the chorus.
The band brought with them the same pyramid/sparkly light background they used for their tour this past summer, but absent was the bassist/keyboardist that accompanied them for that stretch.  Sonically, however, this had no adverse effect.  In fact, the sound was not without a bottom and it was strikingly loud - louder than the last time I was at the Troc, and that was for a Sleigh Bells/Yeasayer show!  In particular, the vocals were mixed very high, almost piercing.  As she belted out "It's a vision, complete illusion, yeah!" during "Silver Soul", I could feel every fluctuation in Legrand's vibrato salvos deep inside my chest.
The singer wore a should-padded lime blazer and violently whipped her bed-head hair (get this woman in a fucking Pantene commercial) to a majority of tunes from last year's Teen Dream as well as a new untitled song with traces of industrial(?!?) influence (it works!).  The other half of the duo, guitarist/backing vocalist Alex Scally, occasionally sat upon a stool while expertly strumming but remained animated regardless, often reminding me of Kermit the Frog with his spastic head bobs and constantly bouncing gangly legs.  Touring drummer Graham Hill added the perfect amount of percussion to each tune, whether banging out a steady bass-snare-bass-snare, prescribing heavy doses of syncopation on the toms or adding small but crucial complements like tambourine or maraca.  As the final tones of closer "10 Mile Stereo" resonated, the crowd, noticeably still in a hazy dream-like state, dispersed into the streets of Chinatown and out into the foggy night.

And by the way, you can check out my YouTube Channel for more videos of past concerts.

Free Energy Live at First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia

Last night Philadelphian glam-boogie rockers Free Energy played one final hometown show before holing up in Fishtown to write and record their sophomore album.  Recalling musical checkpoints in 1970s-set films Almost Famous and Dazed And Confused, their sound is a modernized bridging of the gap between Thin Lizzy and Jay Ferguson.  Run by R5 Productions, First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia isn't a typical concert venue.  Filled with local undergrads reveling in the laid-back, non-carding BYOB policy, the church's dimly lit (see video below) basement - complete with those individual mineral fiber ceiling tiles you see in elementary schools - felt like a deviant youth group gathering.
Opening act Sweatheart, though gimmicky with their sweatbands and unitards, won over the crowd with their brand of Devo-meets-Ween pop rock.  Sample lyrics: "Back up, back up, you're so hot/Back up, back up, like a truck in a parking lot/Back up, back up, into me/Back up, back up, like and F-150."  Second act, The Postelles, took a more straight-up rock approach, sounding like Elvis and Little Richard's lovechild backed by the Ramones.  They even blazed through a cover of "Hound Dog" with help from Free Energy guitarist Scotty Wells and singer Paul Sprangers.
The main act ran swiftly through the majority of their debut self-titled album, along with a few previews of new songs and two covers.  Kicking off with album-opener "Free Energy", they quickly rose the temperature and humidity in the already roasting venue.  Hit single "Bang Pop" was a highlight, as well as new song "Back Scratcher."  Until they played songs like "C'mon Let's Dance" and "Something In Common," I hadn't realized how much room their songs had for audience participation via hand clapping and back-up vocals.  Check out the video I shot rather terribly of logical Petty cover "I Won't Back Down" and see what I mean about the lack of lights.  Before the band finished the encore with closer "Hope Child", they busted out an initially head-scratching cover of "Funkytown" with members of the opening acts helping with vocals.  But once the crowd jubilantly rushed the stage and the band sang "Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me/Town to keep me movin', keep me groovin' with free energy" for the second time, it felt like the perfect end to a long tour and an affectionate love letter to their hometown.

PS!!!!  Here's a schedule of future concerts I will also be attending and recapping:
Beach House - 2/24 - Trocadero
Dum Dum Girls - 3/5 - Johnny Brenda's
The Strokes - 4/1 - Madison Square Garden
LCD Soundsystem - 4/2 - Madison Square Garden
CAKE - 4/17 - Keswick Theatre
CAKE - 4/18 - Keswick Theatre
Sleigh Bells/CSS - 5/8 - Trocadero
Fleet Foxes - 5/21 - Tower Theatre

I'm Goin' Down: Vampire Weekend Vs. Free Energy

Within the span of a few months, indie darlings Vampire Weekend and rock neophytes Free Energy have both released covers of The Boss's austere mediation on relationships, "I'm Goin' Down."  Free Energy's version appears on their tour exclusive 7" split with Titus Andronicus and VW included it in the set for their recently released iTunes Session. 

I'm Going Down - Free Energy by livkend

Free Energy's debut album, Stuck On Nothing, takes a few cues from Springsteen in both songwriting and production. To say theirs is the more faithful of the covers is a pretty big understatement - save for the conversion of the saxophone solo to electric guitar and a decidedly non-'80s reduced snare reverb, there are few divergences.  It almost feels like the band is using sheet music from a Born in the U.S.A. tablature book.  While fundamentally simpatico with the material on SON, the song just doesn't quite add up - I've never understood the point of covers that sound exactly like the original.

Vampire Weekend might owe the success of their adaptation simply to practice - they incorporated it into their setlist during their Contra tour over the past summer.  It starts out much more subdued, with only keyboards and handclaps (nice touch).  The rhythm section joins in after the chorus, but instead of trying to inject any trademark Afro-pop signifiers, they achieve a Springsteenian rock shuffle.  Check out the rest of their session here: A-Punk, Have I The Right, Cousins, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa and Holiday.