LCD Soundsystem - 09/24/10 - Philadelphia Naval Yard

For all intents and purposes, LCD Soundsystem (the brainchild of writer / composer / producer / lead singer James Murphy) should be one of those bands that permanently reside in the exclusive realm of the alt. music ghetto, playing small celeb-packed clubs while garnering love letters from the media cognoscenti who fancy themselves the gatekeepers of all that is worth listening to. The music is a pastiche of simple electronic beats married with introspective, melancholia drenched witticisms decrying the state of the world in Mr. Murphy's distinctive, scream-laden vocal stylings. Tracks from the group's new album "This Is Happening" and from their previous 2 full-length albums can stretch into the 8-10 minute run times, leaving the listener exhausted yet oddly exhilarated at the same time. In other words, this shit isn't simple!

Yet at Friday night's show at the Philadelphia Naval Yard celebrating the 10th anniversary of the "Making Time" party event, Mr. Murphy and all his friends (bandmates Pat Mahoney, Phil Mossman, Tyler Pope, Nancy Whang, and assorted others) laid to rest any sort of argument that electronic-based music is virtually impossible to replicate in a concert setting. Taking the stage after a rather jarring opening set from electro-noise rockers Sleigh Bells, LCD completely owned the place, opening with "Dance Yourself Clean", easily one of the best songs released this past year. Blasting through tracks from the new album as well as select favorites from past releases such as "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" and "Get Innocuous", the soldout, glowstick-laden crowd went narcotic-induced apeshit while I retreated to the relative safety of the back of the venue to better observe the general nuttiness of it all. Having seen the band play before, I understand the power of this group live. Incorporating a full band that has an amazing rhythm section combined with a frontman who knows how to nuance his shrill vocals into crescendo induced agita packs a mighty fine wallop in a live setting. It might not be pretty. But it damn sure is powerful!

There have been hints from Mr. Murphy that this may be his last album under the LCD moniker, retreating into relative obscurity to think it all up again after this tour closes out in Japan at the end of the year. Considering the passion this group's fans have combined with their growing popularity (they are headlining the Hollywood Bowl later this year), I sincerely hope more people have a chance to see this extraordinary band live before the DFA label head calls it quits. Unfortunately if that is not to be the case, then indeed, to paraphrase one of the groups songs, I might be losing my edge but I was there!

Set:

Dance Yourself Clean

Drunk Girls

Get Innocuous

Yr City's A Sucker

Daft Punk

I Can Change

All My Friends

You Wanted A Hit

Tribulations

Movement

Yeah

Encore:

Someone Great

Losing My Edge

Home

The Pixies - 09/07/10 - Philadelphia - Tower Theater

Taking the stage at the historic Tower Theater in Philadelphia Tuesday night, the Pixies opened the final leg of their Doolittle redux tour with a blast of nostalgia, melting faces both young and old in the process. Over the last year, the band has jumped on the "front to back" touring bandwagon, focusing on one album from their oeuvre and playing all tracks from said feature, sprinkling the set list with b-sides and other rarities from that period in their career. As "Doolittle", their seminal art-punk-rock-pop album released in 1989, is considered by many to be a touchstone in the alterna-rock category, it was cause for celebration for hipsters everywhere as the band strolled on-stage, opening the set with the obscure b-side "Dancing The Manta Ray". Backed by a rather elaborate lighting / video system synced with the bands efforts, the group plowed through such hits as "Monkey Gone To Heaven", "Hey", and "Gouge Away", delivering meaty riffs and classic lyrics from what many still consider the halcyon glory days of indie music.

Francis Black, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering have had one of the more well-publicized, tempestuous relationships in the annals of broken rock-and-roll bands. Moving on to varied solo careers and session work, the band reconvened 4 + years ago to milk the alterna-nostalgia market. Unlike the majority of like-minded ventures by other bands of their ilk, this reunion was rapturously well-received from the outset, introducing a new generation of skinny jeaned, floppy-haired youths to the harsh yet soothing soundscapes the band so elegantly captured back in the late 80's. Their talent and virtuosity was on full display Tuesday night as they plowed through the album in its entirety, making minimal small talk yet producing maximum volume as hands were waved and lyrics were mangled / shouted. Two encores later, the crowd was sated as the band took their final bows together as a group. I'm not sure we'll ever have the pleasure of hearing new music from this band again. However, I am sure the pleasure recognized from seeing them live more than compensates for this in so many ways.

Set:

Dancing the Manta Ray

Bailey's Walk

Weird At My School

Manta Ray

Debaser

Tame

Wave of Mutilation

I Bleed

Here Comes Your Man

Dead

Monkey Gone To Heaven

Mr. Grieves

Crackity Jones

La La Love You

#13 Baby

Ther Goe's My Gun

Hey

Silver

Gouge Away

Encore 1:

Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)

Into the White

Encore 2:

Nimrod's Son

Isla de Encanta

Vamos

Where Is My Mind

The Big Pink - 03/31/10 - Philadelphia - North Star

Freakishly small bar / pub in Philly - check. Lackluster crowd filled with hipsteratti - check. Headlining and opening bands who deserved more than the banal setting of last night's show - check.

Don't get me wrong. I am thrilled to be able to take advantage of situations such as the one noted above when bands whom I really dig come to town promoting albums I am currently in love with. No shoving morons. Easy access to front of stage placement. Room to dance my ass off and the list goes on. However, it begs the question as to what sort of "scene" there truly is in Killadelphia when two bands of this caliber can barely pull 100 people into a room with a ticket price under $20. I mean, REALLY?? Enough with the negativity, now for the goodness.

It was my third time having the pleasure of seeing A Place To Bury Strangers live. The Brooklyn trio always delivers in terms of sonics and trippy light eye-candy. These noisecore vets. create screamingly good walls of feedback-drenched esoterica perfect for dancing one's eyes out. It's part shoegaze M. B. Valentine headfuck mixed with an off-key melodic sensibility that really translates both in concert as well as on disc. Check their self-titled debut and 2009 release "Exploding Head". Your brain will thank you later.

Comprised of Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell, The Big Pink has slowly been making in-roads here in the States via their extraordinary debut "A Brief History of Love" via 4AD. Lead single "Dominos" and follow-up "Velvet" should be all over the place by now instead of the alterna-ghetto they now reside in here in the USA. Front to back this album is pure pop sadness / goodness with hints of the JM Chains and a smattering of V. Underground thrown in for good measure. Easily one of the best albums of the last year. Live, the band perfectly captures the distorted spirit of their output to date with a rousing stage show backed by a really tight rhythm section seamlessly recreating the addled soundscapes found on their album. The bitchy NME set has already embraced it with open arms. It's our turn dammit!

Notes: Ran up on Milo after the show (if you by chance read this M., thanks for putting up with my drunken ramblings). Highlights include excitement about upcoming Coachella show, working on new music, coming back to the US for a possible fall tour, and a bunch of other stuff I can't recall at the moment. Also please look up BP's covers of Beyonce's "Sweet Dreams" and the Cure's "Love Song" online. You won't be disappointed, promise!

Setlist:

Too Young To Love

At War With The Sun

Frisk

Velvet

Crystal Visions

A Brief History of Love

New Song?

These Arms Are Mine

Dominos

Happy Mondays / Psychedelic Furs - 10/7/09 - Philadelphia - Trocadero

Entering the 80's arena yet again this year, I learned a valuable lesson after last night's Happy Mondays / Psychedelic Furs co-headlining show at the Troc. in Philly. Let's refer to that lesson as "The Absolute Necessity For A Good Front Man".

Taking the stage first, Shawn Ryder and company (sans Bez, vexed yet again by U.S. immigration issues) performed a very abbreviated set last night, hitting all the right notes in terms of the band's performance but woefully lacking in the front man charisma department. Glued to his adlib monitor as if it was the burning bush, Ryder barely moved at all from his center stage perch, all the while mumbling incoherent shout-outs to friends and Steve McQueen alike in between songs. Taking Bez's place (and thank god for it) was a magnetic female singer and hype artist whose name unfortunately escapes me. She brought the fun and the stage presence. Unfortunately all Shawn had to bring last night was his lumpen English self who couldn't be bothered.

At the other end of the spectrum, there's Richard Butler. I'm not sure what deal this man has made with El Diablo but suffice to say I would like to make a similar one. Looking shockingly good and sounding amazing, Mr. Butler and company ran through a 17 song set-list heavy on the hits while not missing a beat in terms of poncey twirls, audience interaction, and general Bowie-esque fabulosity. I've seen this band many times over the last 20 + years and never once have they disappointed. Last night was no exception (with the exception of not playing Heartbreak Beat but I'll survive). Winner = Psychedelic Furs by a wide margin!

Happy Mondays Set List:

1. Kinky Afro
2. Monster
3. Loose Fit
4. Reverend Black Grape
5. Hallelujah
6. Nasty
7. Anti Warhole on the Dancefloor
8. Jellybean
9. Mumbo Jumbo
10. Step On

Psychedelic Furs Set List:

1. Love My Way
2. Heartbeat
3. Like a Stranger
4. President Gas
5. The Ghost in You
6. In My Head
7. All of This and Nothing
8. Believe
9. Pretty in Pink
10. No Easy Street
11. Sister Europe
12. It Goes On
13. I Don't Wanna Be Shadow
14. Heaven
15. Encore:
15. Forever Now
16. She Is Mine
17. Dumb Waiters

School of Seven Bells - 9/26/09 - Philadelphia - Johnny Brenda's

Every once in a while I'm lucky enough to catch a band at the beginning of what I hope to be an extraordinarily successful career trajectory. This would be one of those bands and one of those times.

Composed of Alley and Claudia Deheza (formerly of On!Air!Library) with Ben Curtis (previously of The Secret Machines) on guitar, the trio makes ridiculously beautiful music suitable for all addled headspaces. I hate drawing comparisons but imagine if My Bloody Valentine had their way with the Cocteau Twins while engaging in an illicit affair with Lush. In other words the shit is good. Their first full length album "Alpinisms" (released last year on the Ghostly International label) brought them the attention of the Pitchfork set with their unique pastiche of wah-wah guitars fluidly blending with the Deheza sisters ethereal vocals creating an almost otherworldly sound perfect to consume 'ludes to.

Live, the band elegantly captures the aural tapestries found on their debut album (Forgive me for just typing "aural tapestries". There is no reason for that and I am sorry). Suffice to say make every effort to see this band live before they're headlining large venues in the near future. Roadworking new material hopefully to be found on their next album due March of next year, such new songs as "Bye-Bye" and "ILU" fit seamlessly into their Alpinisms driven set. There is also a "deluxe" version of "Alpinisms" due 10/13 incorporating demo versions, alternate takes, and new mixes of songs off their first album. Check http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/13402-iamundernodisguise-alternate-version/ for the alternate version of iamundernodisguise.

Here are a couple vids. I shot of the band from February of this year in Philly at the Troc. for a taste of their magic. Note to iPhone users. Do not waste your time trying to shoot video on this device at a show. It will sound like the seventh circle of hell. Trust me. -

Tour Dates. Go. You owe it to yourself. Or the terrorists win!:

Friday, September 25th - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brendas w/Popo
Saturday, September 26th - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar w/ Phantogram
Sunday, September 27th - Washington DC - Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Phantogram
Monday, September 28th - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 w/ Phantogram, Graveyard Fields
Tuesday, September 29th - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn w/ Phantogram, The Tealights
Thursday, October 1st - Austin, TX - Emos Alternative Lounge w/ Phantogram
Friday, October 2nd - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits / Ziker Park
Sunday, October 4th - San Diego, CA - Casbah w/ Phantogram
Monday, October 5th - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour w/ Warpaint, Phantogram
Tuesday, October 6th - San Francisco, CA - Slims w/ Warpaint, Phantogram
Thursday, October 8th - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge w/ Warpaint
Friday, October 9th - Vancouver BC - Biltmore Cabaret w/ Depreciation Guild, Warpaint
Saturday, October 10th - Seattle, WA - Neumos w/ Warpaint
Tuesday, October 13th - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry w/ Depreciation Guild, Warpaint
Wednesday, October 14th - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle w/ Depreciation Guild, Warpaint
Thursday, October 15th - Toronto, ON - Lees Palace w/ Depreciation Guild, Warpaint
Friday - October 16th - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street w/ Depreciation Guild, Warpaint
Saturday, October 17th - Boston, MA - Paradise w/ Depreciation Guild, Warpaint
Friday, October 23rd - New York, NY - Webster Hall w/ The XX, First Aid Kit