Sunday, June 29, 2014

9 – “New Songs and Shanties”





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Nick Waterhouse – “Sleeping Pills”
Black Lips – “Boys in the Wood”
De Lux – “Moments”
Blank Realm – “Back to the Flood”
Vertical Scratchers – “These Plains”
Courtney Barnett – “Don’t Apply Compression Gently”
Big Data – “Dangerous
Camera2 – “Appetite”
Snowmine – “Columbus”
Vibragun – “Dirty Thing”
CYMBALS – “The Natural World”
Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)
The Baseball Project – “From Nails to Thumbtacks”
Mas Ysa – “Why”
Eagulls – “Nerve Endings”

Friday, June 27, 2014

Spring 2014

Singles:
Lucius - "Turn It Around"
Jetta - "Feels Like Coming Home"
St Vincent - "Birth in Reverse"
The Pack A.D. - "Big Shot"
Policia - "Chain My Name"
St. Paul and the Broken Bones - "Call Me"
Liv Warfield - "Why Do You Lie"
Cloud Nothings - "I'm Not Part of Me"
Drowners - "Luv, Hold Me Down"
Static Jacks - "Wallflowers"
Bob Mould - "Hey Mr. Grey"
Ming City Rockers - "I Wanna Get Out Of Here But I Can't Take You Anywhere
Childbirth - "Will You Be My Mom?"
Wimps - "Secret Message"
Liz Vice - "Empty Me Out"
Eagulls - "Nerve Endings" and "Possessed"
Reputante - "Deep Set Eyes"
Strange Names - "Ricochet"
The Bamboos - "Helpless Blues"
AJ Davila - "Salvajes"
Adanowsky - "Dancing to the Radio"
Howler - "Indictment"
Cody Chestnutt with Gary Clark Jr - "Gunpowder on the Letter"
Lucinda Williams - "Something About What Happens When We Talk (Live)"
Robyn Hitchcock - "Fix You"
Sylvan Esso - "Coffee"
Black Diet - "Nothing to Say"
Snowmine - "Columbus"
There Will Be Fireworks - "River"
Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes - "Sun Goes Out"
Max Frost - "White Lies"
Holy Esque - "Silences"
Caught a Ghost - "No Sugar in My Coffee"
Camera2 - "Appetitie"
Big Data - "Dangerous"
Old 97's - "Let's Get Drunk and Get It On"
BNLX - "Everything Must Go"
Vibragun - "Dirty Thing"
Kan Wakan - "Like I Need You"
CYMBALS - "The Natural World"
Sturgill Simpson - "A Little Light"
Future Islands - "Seasons (Waiting on You)"
Chromeo - "Frequet Flyer"
Vertical Scratchers - "These Plains"
Gibraltar - "Satisfied"
Mas Ysa - "Why"
Dolly Parton - "Blue Smoke"
The Baseball Project - "From Nails to Thumbtacks"
La Santa Cecilia  - "Some day, Someday New"
Haley Bonar - "No Sensitive Man"
Rotary Downs - "Flowers in Bloom"

Albums:
Lake Street Dive - Bad Self-Portraits
The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams
The Black Keys - Turn Blue
Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
Augustines - Augustines
Scott H Biram - Nothin' But Blood
Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
St Vincent - St Vincent

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

John Doe @ City Winery

John Doe; Jesse Dayton
@City Winery (the loading dock outside)
New York, NY - June 25, 2014

Bratty kids, chatty socialites, chatty kids, bratty socialites, delicious grapefruit beer and a hot sun boiling the stage (and the stage being the backdoor of City Winery facing the loading dock) couldn't stop good John Doe and his friends from playing a solid set of his country-rock songs and some of his X classics (like "The Have Nots", "The New World", and the always underrated "4th of July" and "Burning House of Love"). There was also a nice cover of "The Last Time" thrown in.

Jesse Dayton was John Doe's guitarist and also his acoustic opener.. A born natural talent with an impeccable rockabilly voice and exceptional licks. Highlight: "I'm Home Getting Hammered While She's Out Getting Nailed".

Sunday, June 22, 2014

8 – “Two Chaps Named Rodrigo and Other Delights”


Download the mp3


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Rodrigo y Gabriela – “The Soundmaker”
Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes – “Sun Goes Out”
Max Frost – “White Lies”
Adanowsky – “Dancing to the Radio”
Holy Esque – “Silences”
La Santa Cecilia – “Someday, Someday New”
Black Diet – “Nothing to Say”
Hurray for the Riff Raff – “I Know It’s Wrong (But That’s Alright)”
Kan Wakan – “Like I Need You”
Sturgill Simpson – “A Little Light”
Caught a Ghost – “No Sugar in My Coffee”
Haley Bonar – “No Sensitive Man”
Seun Kuti – “IMF (radio edit)”
Actual Wolf – “Thinking of You”
Rodrigo Amarante – “Mon Nom”

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Dum Dum Girls @ Prospect Park

Dum Dum Girls; Hospitality 

@ Prospect Park

Brookllyn, NY - June 21, 2014


I've waited a long time to see the Dum Dum Girls. I've been singing their praises for half a decade now but I have not been able to see them live until now. At long last...


And what? They were frankly speaking dead inside. On autopilot. Deprived of oomph. Maybe not on recorded classics like the showstoppin' "Coming Down" or the recent "Rimbaud Eyes", but generally speaking Dee Dee and her contingent appeared neutral at best. And I've gathered for some time now this is par for the course.


Hospitality. Remember the episode of the Simpsons where Lisa meets a very smart student and that kid's dad gives her a ball and says "Got away from you eh? Well you keep at it." Remember it.

Friday, June 20, 2014

The National @ Prospect Park

The National; MS MR
@ Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY - June 19, 2014

Years ago, when I was really going full speed to be "with it", I also had this laughable attempt at trying to act like an adult. One night I failed miserably at attempting being an adult by telling a beloved rock n roll musician I'd come to know personally somewhat that I was now acting like an adult. And the example I gave was that I was now listening to the National. Let's not dwell on his reaction (he got the last laugh though, I now spend my days in the office blasting hardcore punk and garage rock).

Now some years later, I'm still viewing the National through the prism of "this is what it means to be an adult". Seeing them on the eve of my 33rd birthday really put that into gear. For whatever reason 33 is the number for me. Put up or shut up time. Maybe that's the Hold Steady's fault because I heard "Stevie Nix" and the line "to be 33 forever" back at that time when I was failing at starting adulthood while listening to the National.

There is something definitely mature about the National. Even when they started. They have never seemed like they were ever kids doing this. That's disjointed. Rock n Roll is not supposed to be mature. Yet they are a rock n roll band. And they've always managed to convince us/you/me of that when they play live. This night in their old backyard particularly brought that out. Early pre-Alligator song(s) somewhat got there, Trouble Will Find Me album cuts somewhat got there, but big wide swaths of the inbetweens never sounded more authoritative - "Secret Meeting", "Fake Empire", "England", "Bloodbuzz, Ohio". It wasn't my completely ideal setlist, but what they played they played ideally.

And as for all this adulthood business, perhaps the bigger question is what's so mature about the National? Maybe it's the strong classical musical sense the Dessners bring to the table. Maybe it's Matt Berninger's seemingly sensible but ultimately ridiculous (in a wonderful way) lyrics. The nonsensical ramblings of a goof ball (an admittedly imposing goof ball sometimes). Now having having seen them so soon after Bloomsday, and on the eve of turning 33, I was left with a wonderfully mixed up feeling of lyrical silliness, playful seriousness, and maybe just finally a tinge of adulthood and what it should really be like. Or not.
--------------------
MS MR came out and I thought "dour goth thing". Nope. Guitar-less groove music by enthusiastic happy go lucky go getters. Good covers, especially LCD Soundsystem's "Dance Yrself Clean". 

Sunday, June 15, 2014

7 – “What’s New?”





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Bob Mould – “Hey Mr. Grey”
Eagulls – “Possessed”
Ming City Rockers – “I Wanna Get Out Of Here But I Can’t Take You Anywhere”
Cody ChestnuTT – “Gunpowder on the Letter (featuring Gary Clark Jr)”
The Bamboos – “Helpless Blues”
Sonny Knight – “Juicy Lucy”
There Will Be Fireworks – “River”
Drive-By Truckers – “Pauline Hawkins”
Thee Oh Sees – “Drop”
Frankie Teardrop – “Lines”
Angel Olsen – “Forgiven/Forgotten”
Bombay Bicycle Club – “Luna”
Sylvan Esso – “Coffee”
Gibraltar – “Satisfied”
Dolly Parton – “Blue Smoke”

Sunday, June 08, 2014

6 – “June Tunes”





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The Hold Steady – “Spinners”
The Black Keys – “Fever”
Lake Street Dive – “Bad Self-Portraits”
St. Paul and the Broken Bones – “Call Me”
Liv Warfield – “Why Do You Lie”
Liz Vice – “Empty Me Out”
Jetta – “Feels Like Coming Home”
Lydia Loveless – “Head”
The Pack A.D. – “Big Shot”
Wimps – “Secret Message”
Childbirth – “Will You Be My Mom”
Howler – “Indictment”
AJ Davilia – “Salvajes”
Cloud Nothings – “I’m Not Part of Me”
Drowners – “Luv, Hold Me Down”

Sunday, June 01, 2014

5 – “Writer’s Block”





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T-Rex – “Telegram Sam”
Tom Waits – “Books of Moses”
Pylon – “Read a Book”
Frank Sinatra – “I Could Write a Book”
Spoon – “The Book I Write”
Elvis Costello – “Everyday I Write the Book”
Stars – “Write What You Know”
Neko Case – “Ghost Writing”
The Beatles – “Paperback Writer”
R.B. Greaves – “Take a Letter, Maria”
Johnny Cash – “Tear Stained Letter”
Cliff Bruner – “One Sweet Letter from You”
B.B. King – “The Letter”
PJ Harvey – “The Letter”
Allo Darlin’ – “The Letter”
The Box Tops – “The Letter”
X – Adult Books