Dave Longstreth could have gone off the rails when re-imagining Black Flag favorites as lo-fi indie-soul oddities. But RISE ABOVE righteously subverts the hardcore legends’ original machismo, actually illuminating their songs’ intelligence and interpretative potential, while equally illustrating Longstreth’s beautifully bent creativity. “Six Pack,” in particular, is quite the trip, having morphed from alcohol-crazed testosterone into loose-limbed Talking Heads dysfunction (with female vocal harmonies to boot). As is the case with any covers/tribute album, the greatest superlative it can garner is that it feels essentially independent of its source material. By that criterion, RISE ABOVE has ascended to rarified skies.

http://www.mediafire.com/?0bbbvzyzdcz

This video itself is a masterpiece but also the song is powerful. Brent Knopf  better known from indie rock band Menomena stands behind Ramona Falls. The record Intuit (2009) hosted 35 other musicians.  Impressive.

why do you do the things you’ve done and how dumb would you have to be to do them again like I know you’re going to? If you’re the poet you say you are and beauty’s in everything you see, then how can love exist in a world run by people like you? Because when there’s suffering, you’re there. From southern trees, you hang them in the air. The world screams out in agony and you don’t care, but should shit hit the fan, I pray you will not be spared. Fuck you.

So begins Titus Andronicus’ album. An album wracked with titles such as ‘Joset of Nazareth’s Blued’, ‘Upon Viewing Brueghel’s Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus’ and ‘Albert Camus’ by a band sporting the name of Shakespeare’s arguably least successful play. This would appear to be signs for worry. Pretension and obnoxiousness are not traits that I normally find appealing musically. And indeed, first listen to this album, I was, like, WHAT THE…? Is this even worth my time?

Raucous blues, screeched and gasped vocals, vocal chords literally sounding like they’re being shred to pieces or choked out of the singer, while blues riffs run riot around the band. At first, it was horrible. But then I kept listening. My head started to bob, and by the third listen, I was in. This is what the Strokes should have sounded like. This is what Bright Eyes should have done. This is like Bruce Springsteen being beaten by the Ramones being beaten by five snotty kids who haven’t wiped their nose who are using the Strokes as weapons. Then I found the lyrics. At times, this sounds like Conor Oberst at his angriest or most over excited, but lyrically, it lacks the emo that he too often leaves in. Instead, we hear about emergence from the womb, growing up trying to be different but realising you’re not, the walk to Golgotha, to waking up drunk (with the immortal lines ‘waking up drunk makes me happy while lately you just get me down.’) This is not emo, although it touches on emotions. It’s pissed off and bored, frustrated and angry, hopeful but wary. It feels new and different but so very familiar. You’ve heard this all before somewhere.

So is it worth the time? Yes. It is. But maybe not for you. You probably won’ t like it. And you know what? I don’t think Titus Andronicus would really care. They don’t want unwarranted appreciation. They want to make rock and roll and spit on it, kick it in the dirt, then serve it back to you. As they, themselves, say ‘Please don’t whisper sweet nothings in my ear, when the sound of shredded vocal chords is what I want to hear. We’re going to San Francisco and I forgot to wear flowers in my hair.’

arcade fire – maps (yeah yeah yeahs cover).mp3

If you happen to live in Minneapolis and are looking for something to do on the Friday after Thanksgiving, head on down to First Avenue where they’re putting on a tribute show to commemorate both the 25th Anniversary of Let It Be and the paperback release of Jim Walsh’s The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting. Along with nearly two dozen bands and a countless covers, the night also promises a song-by-song recreation of Let It Be sung by a bevy of vocalists. For more information, here’s the link.

i have been listening to this album today and like many other albums i have i forget how good this album really is . you should give this a play if you dont already own it .

Throughout their career, and especially since they were forever enshrined as the favorite band of sardonic emo kid Seth Cohen on television’s THE OC, Death Cab For Cutie have always been known as indie rock’s most famous sensitive guys. Even at their most abrasive on previous albums like PLANS and WE HAVE THE FACTS AND WE’RE VOTING YES, Ben Gibbard and crew have always had an inherent gentleness along with the low-key pop sensibility that allowed them to make the jump from the indie fringe to major-label stardom. The ambitious, experimental NARROW STAIRS is Death Cab For Cutie’s unexpectedly edgy response to any preconceptions, a wide-ranging, noisy and exciting album that sounds little like anything they’ve done before. From the epic-length first single. “I Will Possess Your Heart.” through the spacy, almost psychedelic “Pity and Fear” and the noise-riddled “Your New Twin Sized Bed,” NARROW STAIRS is Death Cab For Cutie’s equivalent to Radiohead’s KID A, a bracingly ambitious attempt to counter expectations as their stardom ascends.
After spending the better part of a decade in the musical minor leagues, Death Cab for Cutie went pro with 2005’s Plans, a record whose optimism and Technicolor sound gave the band enough leverage to finally enter the mainstream. “Soul Meets Body” became their biggest rock single to date, but it was Ben Gibbard’s delicate love song, “I Will Follow You Into the Dark,” that earned the quartet a Grammy nomination and legions of new fans. Some bands might have taken a cue from such success and resigned themselves to a career of acoustic ballads, not unlike the Goo Goo Dolls’ transformation in the mid-’90s. But Narrow Stairs roughs up Plans’ bright palette with something starker, more harrowing, and altogether darkened by Gibbard’s blues. No longer crooning about immortal love or his desire to embrace all of Manhattan, the frontman lives inside his own troubled head on these 11 tracks — or at least the heads of the characters he conjures up with ease, like some music-minded novelist with a knack for pop melodies and witty observations. There’s “Cath,” an ill-married girl who “holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child,” as well as the creepy stalker in “I Will Possess Your Heart,” who simply demands that his intended lover give him the time of day. Elsewhere, Gibbard examines a friend’s recent heartbreak by referencing her bedroom furniture (“Your New Twin Sized Bed”), offering up his concern — if not quite his help — while the band conjures up a lazy summer’s day with gauzy keyboards and brightly chiming riffs. Such contrast between music and text plays an occasional role on Narrow Stairs, with songs like “No Sunlight” and “Long Division” pairing somber lyrics with upbeat orchestration. But the album largely paints itself as the darker, mysterious cousin to Plans — raw rather than polished, heartbroken rather than optimistic, enigmatic rather than energetic. Gibbard strings his words together with an army of free-flowing “ands” and “buts”, and the resulting lyrics — long, uncoiling sentences with no clear end — mirror his characters’ desperate attitudes. Narrow Stairs is far from desperate, however, and the album’s willingness to steer Death Cab into unfamiliar territory (or, to reference an earlier lyric, “into the dark”), is by far its strongest asset. ~ Andrew LeaheyRolling Stone (p.66) – 4 stars out of 5 — “[T]he album is as dark as anything the band has done….[T]he most indelible moment is ‘Grapevine Fires,’ a minor-key processional framed by churchy organ and electric piano.

http://www.mediafire.com/?hwmwwucikti

Disc One
1. “Chi Ga” – 1:42
2. “This Is The Modern” – 2:32
3. “Son Of Dad” – 4:35
4. “Duel Of The Dynamite” – 3:38
5. “The Malevolence” – 4:01
6. “Popovic” – 5:03
7. “Hail The Sunny Days” – 3:54
8. “Cinderella” – 2:31
9. “Last Time Infected” – 3:15
10. “Carbon Place” – 3:57
11. “Sheepdog (Acoustic Version)” – 4:38
12. “Chet Baker” – 2:22
13. “Sweet Jesus” – 3:51
14. “A Picture Of ‘Em All” (2002 Digital Remaster) – 2:31
15. “And I Don’t Know” (2002 Digital Remaster) – 2:04
16. “With Or Without Love” – 3:40
17. “Good Morning,Herr Horst (RAC Mix)” – 2:23
18. “Spit On Your Love” – 3:29
19. “Telephone Song” – 4:01

Disc Two
1. “The Quarry” – 4:34
2. “How We Walk” – 4:07
3. “Searching For Owls” – 4:02
4. “San Fransisco Bay” – 3:01
5. “Your Lover’s Nerve” – 3:26
6. “Moonshine Fever” – 2:36
7. “India Love” – 3:01
8. “For The Tears” – 3:10
9. “Waves Of Fortune” – 4:24
10. “Deep Blue Sea” – 3:08
11. “She’s So” (2002 Digital Remaster) – 4:07
12. “Jeanette” – 4:06
13. “Long Before Rock’n'Roll (Live)” – 3:26
14. “We’re Hit” – 4:14
15. “Chi” – 4:10
16. “A Hard Day’s Night” – 3:00
17. “Little Boy Jr (Live)” – 3:24
18. “Paralyzed (Live)” – 4:38
19. “Sheepdog (Live)” – 4:00
20. “Driving Around” – 7:33

[RS: part 1, part 2] [MultUp: part 1, part 2]

Album “Grrr…”

Par Bishop Allen – Track #7 “True or False”

Date de sortie: 10 mars 2009

Label: Dead Oceans

Stéréotypes: Indie Rock US

Liens: site de l’artiste – myspace – label

October was but the music still lives on. Holding on to the present I traveled to the past and immersed myself in a pool filled with Soul music. Everything makes sense now. Enjoy these bangers and future classixxx and remember to spread the love.

Click on pic for download.

TRACKLISTING:

1. “Romance de Juan de Osuna” – 5:21
2. “No sale luz esta noche (petenera)” – 4:14
3. “Yo le estoy pidiendo a Dios” – 4:08
4. “Tarantos de Perico ‘El Morato’ ” – 2:37

[RS] [MultUp]

Choć kalendarzowo bliżej nam do zimy, niż początków poprzedzającej jej pory roku (a gdy piszę te słowa, za oknem słońce i wysoka temperatura nie składają broni, panuje klimat niemal wiosenny, więc już całkiem można stracić rachubę), to aktualny wpis stoi pod znakiem „Wczesnej Jesieni”. Na debiutancki, nagrany wspólnymi siłami czwórki muzyków (i nie tylko muzyków, jednym z członków zespołu jest Antek Opolski, znany fotograf od koncertów oraz imprez indie) materiał Ireny składają się raptem trzy krótkie piosenki, których produkcją zajął się Kamil Łazikowski z Cool Kids Of Death. Panowie na wstępie zdobywają punkty za zadbanie o to, by EP-ka brzmiała profesjonalnie, z jednym tylko zastrzeżeniem – mam wrażenie, że w „Dystansie” coś pyka i nie jest to efekt zamierzony, jak również za bardzo fajną okładkę. Szczegóły, które jednak w ostatecznym rozrachunku dopełniają obrazu całości.

„Nie mówię głośno”, wspomniany wyżej „Dystans”, „Co chcesz” pokazują, że Irenę interesuje melodyjny indie rock, przy którym będzie można potańczyć, ale okraszony tekstami odnoszącymi się do poważniejszej, niż zabawa sfery życia, relacji między ludźmi. Tomek Pamrów stosuje dość proste słowa, by naświetlić nadzieje i rozczarowania związane z przyjaźnią czy miłością, co jedni uznają za plus, drudzy za minus, podobnie jak estetykę, w której i jak obraca się Irena. Bardzo łatwo bowiem wysunąć zarzut, że takich kapel jest tysiące i pewnie to prawda, gdy spojrzeć na temat globalnie. Jednak zawężając kwestię do rodzimej sceny, chłopaki wcale nie stoją na straconej pozycji. Mam nadzieję, że na potencjalnej płycie nie stracą nic z normalności i nie zrezygnują z mieszania chłodu z ciepłem, charakterystycznego dla omawianej EP-ki (nazwa zobowiązuje), która została udostępniona w sieci do ściągnięcia za darmo, także rozglądajcie się.

Here is a new Indie, Folk Style music groups for you to enjoy.

Diana Catherine sent me a note on myspace, so I googled them on youtube and found a few cool performances with Sarah Burton.

I’ve included the information for their next concert.

diana the great catastrophe of the sixth sign

Diana Catherine- Vocals, Guitars, Harmonica, etc.
Nic DiSanto- Bass
Matt Blackie- Drums and backing vocals
Kevin Robinson- Guitar

Diana Catherine and the Thrusty Tweeters Band Pic Idea Girl Consulting

BlackieStuff on youtube.

diana

Diana Catherine Dec 11, 2009

The Merchant Tap House – With Sarah Burton w/ Sarah Burton

6 Princess St, Kingston, Ontario

sarah_burton i hate you - idea girl consulting

yakkingwithfaze on youtube

sarah burton - idea girl consulting

1. “Intro” – 2:08
2. “VCR” – 2:57
3. “Crystalised” – 3:22
4. “Islands” – 2:41
5. “Heart Skipped a Beat” – 4:02
6. “Fantasy” – 2:38
7. “Shelter” – 4:30
8. “Basic Space” – 3:08
9. “Infinity” – 5:13
10. “Night Time” – 3:37
11. “Stars” – 4:23

[RS] [MultUp]

1. “Adored” – 3:42
2. “Song For Jacob” – 3:23
3. “Slow Poison” – 3:31
4. “Hatefuck” – 2:55
5. “I Am Your Skin” – 3:01
6. “She’s So Bendable” – 2:21
7. “The Spectator” – 3:50
8. “I Have Seen The Future” – 3:15
9. “Red Hands and White Knuckles” – 3:21
10. “Jack-O-Lantern Man” – 2:50
11. “Sugar Pill” – 3:17

[RS] [MultUp]

sea wolf – wicked blood.mp3

PROS: fan-serving | full-band parts not overdone | heart-felt songs

CONS: not memorable as a whole

If you have heard the name Allison Weiss before, then you probably already know her story.  When she was fifteen, she began playing guitar to impress a boy in her creative writing class.  Several years, a profile on every social networking site you could imagine and eighty-some YouTube videos later, Allison Weiss continues to build an ever-increasing fanbase.  Unfortunately, any fan of hers can tell you that Allison Weiss is most certainly underappreciated.  There is no lack of dedication, talent or heart in the sounds Allison Weiss creates, and it seems as though she just needs a little something to push her over the top.  Her newest release, …Was Right All Along, is a step in the right direction.

Any Allison Weiss fan will have seen a number – if not all – of her solo acoustic YouTube videos, featuring originals and covers.  If you are hoping for a studio-quality album of these solo pieces, you will probably be disappointed.  Instead, we are treated to full band, fleshed out versions of some really great songs.  Whether this is what an Allison Weiss fan really wants or not, it is hard to complain about the quality of the individual tracks on …Was Right All Along.  To fund the album, Allison Weiss used the crowd-sourcing pledge site Kickstarter.com, raising nearly eight thousand dollars – almost 400% her original goal.  And you can hear every penny in the tracks.  With …Was Right All Along, Allison Weiss’ sound has changed from that of a hobbyist to that of a professional musician.

There are a few places on the album where one could nitpick (for example: the ebow on “Ghost Stories” just sounds off for some reason), but a number of the tracks reward the listener for each additional play.  “You + Me + Alcohol”, “Fingers Crossed” and “Let’s Leave” steal the show in this department.  “You + Me + Alcohol” may not be the most poetic of Allison Weiss’ large repertoire of songs, but it is just so damn fun to listen to and sing along.

The album features an extended band for most tracks, but it certainly does not entirely ignore the solo acoustic pieces that captivated most fans in the first place.  “I Was An Island” (a personal favorite of mine) eases the listener in by slowly building on Allison Weiss’ solo acoustic guitar.  It serves as a fitting transition, taking the listener from behind a webcam and into the studio.  The second track on the album, “Fingers Crossed”, shows exactly how far Allison Weiss’ sound has come, even in just the last few years.

Perhaps the most satisfying track on the album is “July 25, 2007”. It is Allison Weiss at her core.  A simple guitar, a catchy melody and chorus, and heartbreak – everything we have come to expect from this Athens, Georgia songwriter.  The only thing that could possibly improve the piece would be light harmonies, but the song is flawless as-is.

Though the individual tracks are often spot on, it seems for some reason that the entire album is lacking something.  It is certainly fan-serving and full of great songs, but the album as a whole is not as memorable as it could be.  Long-time fans will most definitely listen to this album on repeat (as I have several times in writing this review), but new listeners might want to skip around to the best bits first.  The album could probably do without “From You To Me”, “Try To Understand”, “Why Bother” and/or “Yer Going Down”.  They are, of course, good songs, but they just do not stick in your mind like many of the other tracks on the album.  It leaves me to believe that this album could have been better at EP length (as originally planned), or with a slightly different selection of tunes from Allison Weiss’ long line of webcam performances.

All-in-all, …Was Right All Along is a great album, but it certainly serves fans more than anything.  While not a bad thing, this might not be the release that rockets Allison Weiss into complete stardom, as her fans would love to see.  The full band parts are rewarding, rather than overdone as some artists are wont to do, and this album is definitely a step in the right direction for Allison Weiss.  It would be hard to imagine her next release being anything less than stellar after this entry into her discography.

…Was Right All Along is out now anywhere mp3s are sold (this girl is all over the net).  Years For Beards recommends visiting the official Allison Weiss shop to buy the physical CD or the mp3s (which come with an exclusive bonus track when purchased directly from the artist).

(4 out of 5 beards)

Track Listing:

01. I Was An Island
02. Fingers Crossed
03. From You To Me
04. July 25, 2007
05. You + Me + Alcohol
06. Try To Understand
07. Why Bother
08. Yer Going Down
09. Ghost Stories
10. Let’s Leave

My music binge continues at Piano’s, in the Lower East Side of Manhattan (LES in text speak), where I checked out a band called El Ten Eleven. Comprised of only two members (though you would never know it from just listening to them), this band will seriously blow your mind. Similar to Ratatat, this duo is an instrumental dance-rock group based out of Los Angeles. Here’s the catch. It’s a drummer, and a guy with a double neck guitar (one neck 6-string guitar, one neck 4-string bass). Through the use of looping technology, they are able to create a full band sound, and an awesome concert experience.

Here is just a taste of what they are like.

It is understandable to be wary of an instrumental band, but for a live show, this is what a band like this is made for. What they lack in vocals, they make up for in talent. The guitarist is looping himself playing both bass and guitar, and at times is actually doing both at the same time.

Additionally, and to their credit, they did all concert goers justice by snuffing out some jack ass in the crowd who yelled “Freebird” at the end of their set. The fat man in front of me, did in fact commit this egregious error, and the guitarist swiftly responded with, “man, most morons yell for ‘Freebird’ at the beginning of the set, at least think of something clever to yell out,” to which the fat man yelled back sarcastically, “oh, guy with the microphone always wins”  and like the Bill Murray surrogate from my previous post about Terra Blues, this man most likely ended up floating in the East River.

Anyway, if you are frustrated by instrumental rock, this may not be a band for you, but if you have any interest in being mesmerized by musical talent, you may want to consider seeing these guys while they are still relatively un-famous. They have been working on some film scores (they worked on Helvetica, if anyone saw it), so watch out. They head to California in a few weeks for my west coast readers (are there any non-west coast readers? reveal yourselves if you exist).

After El Ten Eleven, the late night band, Wolff, comes on. They are the regulars at Piano’s, and if you stumble in after 1am, the show is free. Another looping Duo, Wolff, is comprised of a drummer, and a Tuba player, who has a microphone mounted onto his Tuba, which is connected to a DJ table and loop station. It is the same effect as El Ten Eleven, except the guys sings through his Tuba. If that isn’t trippy enough, they usually play with a projector screen which is playing either obscure movies, or Planet Earth.

In the last week, I have seen 4 different concerts. I don’t know how I am pulling it off, but there is too much music to be heard and not enough time to hear it. With endless venues and an endless amount of people to fill concert spaces, New York is perfect for budding musical acts.

The concert binge started earlier last week with Edward Sharpe a& the Magnetic Zeros at the Bowery  Ballroom.

We then moved over into Brooklyn, diving into Park Slope to check out These United States at The Bell House. This concert venue features multiple bars, an enormous floor space, and my favorite, chandeliers. It resembles a large dance hall for an Elks’ Club Lodge.

These United States hail from D.C./Kentucky, bringing an indie/country feel to the stage.  Chock full of slide guitar, and twangy vocals, they sound like a mix of the Thrills, the Shins, and perhaps a little Matt Costa (no offense). However, they had the uncomfortable misfortune of opening for a band called Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. First off, I don’t know if that is one person’s name, or some cute conglomeration of the band members’ names, but I gave these guys one song and gave up. I’m not one to leave a concert, but, if you tempt me, I will. One song was enough to see why this show was not crowded. Their poppy, annoying sound was a train wreck from the outset. Their stage presence was just awkward, and they all looked like they were 17.

Here, you can see them performing “Kings and Aces”  live, at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

Hello, all. Here’s the November 2009 Mix. This one’s a pretty schizophrenic mix, mostly due to all the free time that I’ve had to investigate new music recently (actually, old music that’s new to me). It’s starts off with the first track, “Military Madness”, Graham Nash’s first solo album. Thanks to my friend Kyle for talking me into giving that record a real listen. I’m generally allergic to anything slightly David Crosby-related, and, admittedly, rather prone to jumping to conclusions.

There’s some new discoveries on here that are really revelatory. Well, they are to me, at least. Hank Ballard’s “Sexy Ways” is a racy and fun doo-wop number that most people of my generation aren’t likely to recognize. Apparently, James Brown was a Ballard devotee, and credited him with many of the idiosyncratic vocal traits that Brown later made his name on. LaVern Baker and Johnny Ace are also new treats of pre-60’s soulful R&B for me. Ace having one of the more tragic, and interesting backstories in rock n’ roll. Really, Google it!

The Jawbox, Home, and Eric’s Trip tracks are old favorites of mine from my exclusively indie-rawk highschool years. Additionally, about once every year I go through a mini-John Cale phase, and “I Keep a Close Watch” is a powerful enough ballad to get you hooked as well. I’ve been arguing for a while that his post-Velvets records are far and away superior to Lou Reed’s output. Any opinions on that? I love to hear any comments, compliments, or even negative muckraking. Again, thanks for reading and listening. Enjoy! (Download Slow, Slow Music’s November 2009 Mix.)

1. Military Madness – Graham Nash
2. Stratosphere Boogie – Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant
3. Burden – Home
4. Voices Carry – ‘Til Tuesday
5. Pledging My Love – Johnny Ace
6. From Here to Eternity – The Only Ones
7. Dumb Blonde – Dolly Parton
8. Behind the Garage – Eric’s Trip
9. Road Without An End – Charles Wright & the 103rd Street Watts Band
10. She’s All I Got – Johnny Paycheck
11. Breezewood, PA – Jenny Toomey
12. All the Way From Memphis – Mott the Hoople
13. Sexy Ways – Hank Ballard & the Midnighters
14. Washing the Dishes – Willie Nelson
15. Poor Girl – X
16. Hey, Western Union Man! – Jerry Butler
17. Soul On Fire – LaVern Baker
18. Jamboree – Guadalcanal Diary
19. A Six Pack to Go – Hank Thompson
20. Iodine – Jawbox
21. I Keep a Close Watch – John Cale
22. Debbie Denise – Blue Oyster Cult
23. Walking Around – The Innocence Mission

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Like mostly everyone who is into The Swell Season (Glen Hansard of The Frames with Markéta Irglová), I got into them via the movie ONCE.  They came through Eugene after I had moved to town, but before I had gotten into them.  My brother made me watch it when we were home for my other brother’s wedding (July 2008), and I suppose I should thank him for that.   With The Swell Season’s original 2009 Strict Joy tour date press release, they didn’t have a Eugene date, but I’m glad they added one…

The opener was Doveman’s frontman Thomas Bartlett.  He played about a half of an hour of whispy piano tunes.  He seemed slightly shy, rarely looking towards the crowd… but maybe that’s just his style or how the piano was set up for him.  Due to his whispy vocals, he struck me as similar to Jeff Hanson or slimmer, beardless Sam Beam of Iron & Wine – but on piano.  He’s worked with The Frames, Swell Season, Antony & the Johnsons, Laurie Anderson, Arto Lindsay, The National, and Yoko Ono in the past – so that put him in my “he’s cool” book.  Songs he played included “Angel’s Share ” (about whisky), “The Burgundy Stain” (about wine), and a medley to the Footloose soundtrack.  The Footloose songs were fantastically mournful and sad.  Classic!

The show opened with Glen and Markéta coming out and crouching down in front of the center mic.  I wasn’t close enough to see if someone was playing the electronics / keyboards, but they started out with “Fallen From the Sky” – staying crouched down for the whole song.  Luckily that didn’t continue for the rest of the show (or my continued photos would have been lame).

After the initial song, the band came out.  The band was made up of the rest of The Frames, Glen’s band that was the precursor to Once and The Swell Season.  I’m very rapidly becoming a serious fan of Glen’s vocals… which I suppose means that I need to get The Frames’ back catalog.  Vocally Glen reminds me a lot of my buddy, Ashley Peacock.  Most of the set was Glen on vocals, but Markéta covered lead vocals for “If You Want Me,” “Fantasy Man,” and “I Have Loved You Wrong.”  As far as most powerful vocal performance… I’ll have to go with “Say It To Me Now,” where Glen played solo and off microphone.  A few songs later, Glen was killin’ his guitar on Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks,” and he shredded at least a couple of strings – luckily his roadie was on top of things and brought out a replacement guitar right away.

Setlist: just over 2 hours

• Fallen From The Sky
• Lies
• Low Rising
• In These Arms *a fave of the night*
• The Rain *a fave of the night*
• The Moon
• If You Want Me
• Fantasy Man
• Say It To Me Now (Glen solo, off mic) *a fave of the night*
• Leave
• Lay Me Down
• Astral Weeks [Van Morrison]
• The Blue Shoes (Colin solo violin song)
• I Have Loved You Wrong
• Once *a fave of the night*
• When Your Mind’s Made Up *a fave of the night*
• Encore: Falling Slowly *a fave of the night*
• High Hope (new song)
• High Horses
• Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
• It All Falls Down (with Doveman)
• Red Chord [The Frames]
• The Parting Glass [The Clancy Brothers]

After leaving the venue, I bet everyone thought they got their money’s worth… a great show, great vocals by Glen & Markéta.  While I know this was a break-up record of sort, I’m glad that they’re still able to work together.  And while it may be a long shot, I hope they do continue to work together in the future.

many more pictures below

The “Low Rising” video directed by Sam Beam (from Iron & Wine):

The Swell Season’s new record, Strict Joy, is better than the Once soundtrack, if you ask me.  You can get it at Amazon below:

The Appropriate Linkage:

• The Swell Season’s Site
• The Swell Season on MySpace
• Jason Segel guesting with Swell Season (in L.A.) (youtube link)
• The Frames’ Site
• The Frames on MySpace
• Doveman’s Site
• Doveman on MySpace
• McDonald Theatre

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Pearl Jam – Backspacer

THE SWELL SEASON & DOVEMAN PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Higher Resolution (8 pics)

Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (30 pics)

Tour Dates
1 – Milwaukee, Wisc. @ The Pabst
2 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Clowes Memorial Hall
3 – Toronto, Ontario @ Massey Hall
4 – Montreal, Quebec @ L’Olympia de Montreal
6 – Boston, Mass. @ Berklee College of Music Performance Center
7 – Providence, R.I. @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
8 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Merriam Theater
9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
12 – New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
13 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live
14 – Dallas, Texas @ Palladium
15 – Austin, Texas @ Paramount Theatre
17 – Mesa, Ariz. @ Mesa Arts Center
18 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern
20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Paramount
22 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Paramount
23 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
24 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
25 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
27 – Boise, Idaho @ Egyptian Theatre
28 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Jeanne Wagner Theatre
29 – Denver, Colo. @ Ogden Theatre
30 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Uptown Theater

December 2009
3 – Chicago, Ill. @ Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
4 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
5 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ State Theatre

land of talk – sixteen asterisk.mp3
&
land of talk – may you never.mp3

Indie rock inglês, som honesto.

Faixas do álbum:

1. Some Cities

2. Black And White Town

3. Almost Forgot Myself

4. Snowden

5. The Storm

6. Walk in Fire

7. One of These Days

8. Someday Soon

9. Shadows of Salford

10. Sky Starts Falling

11. Ambition

LINK – Some Cities

Parece com? Kasabian, Gomez.

Clipe da música Black And White Town.

Enjoy o/