New Video from Looker: "After My Divorce"

Nicely shot, very good New York-feeling video

Sonic Parthenon's The Year In Music 2008: Part 4

The Hard Lessons
A couple of quality gigs and toying around with some new tunes, and - even with the loss of the Anvil - Koko and Augie just refuse to surrender rock n' roll to the forces of evil.

Headlights
This very low-key band from Illinois has the potential for very big things if they churn out well-crafted shows like the one in May at the Mercury Lounge.

The Hold Steady
What more can be said on this blog about the Hold Steady? Stay Positive was not perfect, in fact, there were at least 4 better records out this year, but what did work works better than just about anything else out there right now ("Constructive Summer" is without question the best song of 2008). Combine that with a continued excellence on the touring circuit and this band that refused to go away, whose infectious devotion to irony-free vintage rock proved to be too much to scoff at, is just impervious to negativity.
As we enter 2009, it is quite clear that in the review-of-the-decade-to-come, Craig Finn and the boys are going to be right at the top, sharing the spotlight with only a few other bands at most, and if they own 2009 like they did 2008, 2007, (and in hindsight, 2006 and 2005), they could make the case for being number 1 without any sharing.

Hot Chip
Hot Chip do not challenge you to like them like a lot of other bands but they are also not the most easily digestible. Made in the Dark was equal parts friendly and uninviting. But it all came together, and Alexis is leading an outfit that taps into a wellspring of creativity, making techno-nerd-rock groove in all the right places. "Ready for the Floor" and "One Pure Thought" prove that.

Joan as Police Woman
To Survive was Joan Wasser's contribution to 2008 and it was a sterling one. Though she's been working at it for years, it was only in 2008 that people seemed to finally get something that's not hard to figure out: soul music is invincible, and Joan's take on it - smoothed, seductive, sedate, and infused with a kink of folk - is ripe for perfection. And see her live to really get it.

Jukebox the Ghost
"Hold It In" was a quality cut of 2008 and this band's sensible live show is charming.

Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim finally broke into the big time this year with his solid self-titled LP, well deserving after years of toiling in the NYC-based muck. From all over NPR to David Letterman, everyone was finally getting a taste of what only a select few knew before. With a couple of dandy War Eagles backing him up, the only question one had to ask was "what took everyone so long?" And it always feels good when a sincerely nice person does well in this crazy world. Truly, 2008 was the year of the well-meaning slim, whether in presidential elections or country-fried rock n' roll.

Jenny Lewis
The title track of Acid Tongue and her collab with Costello on "Carpetbagger" alone were enough to remind us Jenny Lewis is probably better off without Rilo Kiley. Though now the debate will rage whether she is better off without the Watson Twins and that is a little harder to answer (actually it isn't - keep reading).

Looker
It was a quiet second half of the year for Looker but the first was pretty snazzy, what with a good Saturday night gig at the now gone Luna Lounge and one of the singles of the year with "Gates of the Old City".

Long Blondes
It was all going great, and then it was over. Of all of this year's sudden band-break-ups this one hurts the most. It's a damn shame. But before they closed up shop, the Long Blondes left us with a decent final record, including the stellar "Here Comes The Serious Bit", and a successful live tour that included a terrific stop at the Bowery Ballroom.

Lykke Li
"Tonight" and "Dance, Dance, Dance" were the two top tracks from this very divisive bit o' pixie dust.

Shwa Losben
Brooklyn girls may not be from Brooklyn and neither is Shwa but he's allowed to live here because his pop music is so damn catchy and he knows how to put on a show.

CMJ Update: What Update? Well...Go See Action Painters and the Orion Experience

In a perfect storm of election, work, and personal affairs, yours truly has been MIA from CMJ. But hopefully you, dear reader, have not been.

Look at the concert calendar and see all the old friends of the blog making the rounds. Looker have done their part but tomorrow, the Orion Experience and Action Painters will own the night at Public Assembly while the Hard Lessons tear it up at Union Hall. Where will I be? Probably another night cancelled - or actually, as of right now - at a third gig entirely but I would be remiss if I didn't encourage you to go out there and catch these bands. This blog has been a little under the weather in its bread and butter lately but don't be discouraged - these bands are still making it happen out there.

Looker; Orion Experience; Other Local Faves' Upcoming Shows

We're slipping here at the SPHQ because Looker and the Orion Experience are playing Maxwell's tonight and yours truly had no idea till just now. Booooo.

You can catch also Looker tomorrow night at Public Assembly (the rock n' roll venue that was once Galapagos Art Space, which itself has officially moved into DUMBO and will no longer host rock shows). They will also be playing the Mercury Lounge on the 25th and Union Hall on August 22nd.

The Orion Experience will be at the Knitting Factory on July 24th and the Highline in October.

Action Painters are playing the Bowery Ballroom on Saturday night, opening for TigerCity, making for a nice alternative Siren festival after-party.

The Teenage Prayers have joined Eli "Paperboy" Reed for his show at Union Hall on August 1.

NYC's other Teenage band of note, My Teenage Stride, is also playing Union Hall in August...the 20th to be exact.

Psst...Joan Wasser is playing the Bowery Ballroom on September 25th. Don't tell anyone till I have a ticket.

In another slip-up, Wormburner played the Merc last night and now you'll have to wait till the Fall to see them again. Drats.

Rock n Roll's Future in Williamsburg: Looker; The Orion Experience; The Red Romance @ Luna Lounge

Looker; The Orion Experience; The Red Romance; Prabir & The Substitutes
@ Luna Lounge
Brooklyn, NY – March 7, 2008

I finally figured out the secret to Looker’s success. Primarily playing in a rock genre that is mostly populated these days by young kids emo-ing and screamo-ing their insincerity, Looker brings pop-punk (and similar genres) back to a more mature, substantive level. Whether singing about personal affairs in songs like “After My Divorce” and the show-stopping “Gregory” (by all rights, it should be a radio smash hit) or broader subjects in songs like “Born in the Desert”, “Radio”, or the super stellar “Gates of the Old City” (number 1 on this week’s Top 20 Countdown on the Pennypacker-pod), this band has a wiser and more authentic perspective than many of their peers. Musically, Boshra and Nicole trade flawless harmonies when they aren’t trading guitar licks while A.J. and Robbie bring up the solid rhythm section. Always a good time with this band.
The Orion Experience is a rocking, explosive bit of sunshine and happiness. Similar in energy to Les Sans Culottes, but far from that band’s 60’s au-go-go style, this band relishes in 70’s and 80’s anthem-style pop songs, backed by smashing power chord riffs and a raw attitude. They make me want to play pac-man and watch Different Strokes. A whole hell of a lot of fun.
The Red Romance are reviewed just at a time when this is a blossoming of bands really focused on 80’s New Wave pop-rock. These guys fall in line but in many of their songs they have a clear love for the Smiths and the Cure, adding a little post-New Wave darkness to the mix. They put together well-crafted hooks and riffs, with a deeper, somewhat darker subtext to the proceedings. Another great new band making the rounds.
I only caught the last couple songs of Prabir & the Substitutes but it was pretty impressive. Loud but catchy, with their brand of Virginia stomp-rock, these guys probably put on a heck of a show, too bad I missed most of it.

New Gorbachov; New Looker

The Irish band, Gorbachov, who released one of the most fun songs of the decade in "Beat Machine", have some new material out, led by the pretty solid "Go On My Son". It's on Pirate Industries.

Meanwhile, Serious Business has issued the latest Looker single, "Gates of the City", some of the band's best work yet released. Hear it on the band page.

Looker, Scott Biram, Others on VIMBY

Carbon/Silicon
The Budos Band
Dappled Cities
The Willowz
And a profile of the First Unitarian Church venue in Philadelphia

Sonic Parthenon's The Year In Music 2007: Part 3

“Hero of Nineteen Eighty Three” by Peachfuzz
One of the few Little Steven pushed songs caught this year, this one was the best of the lightly picked bunch. A killer hook and fun lyrics made this bit of nostalgia a keeper.
Hear it here

The Hold Steady

• Live Show
  
• Record: Boys and Girls in America
• Song: “Hot Soft Light”
  

Like the previously mentioned Camera Obscura, the Hold Steady’s recent release came in 2006 but they dominated 2007. And I mean, DOMINATE. In a year in which more pop oriented and more delicate bands took center stage on the Parthenon calendar, this Minneapolis/Boston/Brooklyn/Ybor City bar band, with lyrics described elsewhere as “dense” and appropriately so, led the charge for fun, loud rock n’ roll. And unlike other bands that exploded into the Parthenon universe, the Hold Steady nagged and clawed. “Stuck Between Stations” was perfectly fine but not immediate, back when Boys And Girls in America was released. But in January, the arrival of “Hot Soft Light” changed everything. The raw power, the concrete structure, even Finn’s distinct voice, it all came together and that was it. The rest of the material, going all the way back to The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me and the Lifter Puller days, slowly made its way to the rotation and by the end of 2007, there was at least one Hold Steady song being played on an average of one a day. The redundancy in the lyrics may be Finn’s only flaw and it doesn’t really matter. See them live and that’s the end of everything. They’re a little too big for clubs these days (and the Dirtbombs will always dominate the club circuit anyway), but in the realm of midlevel bands, that live space between say, the White Stripes and the Dirtbombs, the Hold Steady fill the void. In fact, they not only fill that void, they own it, and it doesn’t look like anyone is going to take it away from them. Oh, and Franz Nicolay for President.
SPTV: Live at Terminal 5

Stuck Between Stations
Chips Ahoy
Live at El Rey - "How A Resurrection Really Feels"

“I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You” by Black Kids
The major theme of 2007, broadly speaking, was the beyond-comprehension fast rise of blog-hyped bands. Later on, read the story of Vampire Weekend, which came earlier in the year, but for now read the saga of Black Kids. This Florida dance-pop band were unheard of weeks before CMJ but thanks to a demo and an Arcade Fire connection of sorts, they were the most hyped band of the marathon, pushed by the big reads in particular. The band was so new, they even admitted to not even being prepared for playing live. And the performance was indeed trashed, but everyone involved is still pushing on with the band and for good reason: Beyond all the hype, this song is damn good. Catchy beyond belief without being nauseating, this is a good signature sound to have and if they get the live show in order, this may be more than Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. This could be…hell, Vampire Weekend.



“If This Ain’t Love” by Nicole Willis
For all the rage of that English broad who need not be mentioned, and even for all the rightful love of the exquisite Miss Sharon Jones, this old soul ditty slipped through and entertained, if at least for a few weeks.


“Intervention” by Arcade Fire
Everyone else will go on about Neon Bible, but this was the one real stand-out song on that record. Is it “Rebellion”? No of course not, very little in this world compares to “Rebellion”. But it’s good enough for a mention.


Jesus and Mary Chain

• Live Show
  

One of the great bands of the 80’s reunited in 2007 and took the reunion on the road, however briefly. They may not be the most exciting, party-your-ass-off band in the world, but if you want the roots of the great thinking music going on these days, it traces in good part to these Scots. A band with the gloomy fuzzies, you gotta love ‘em.
Live on Letterman:


The Knitters

• Live Show
  

As long as Dave Alvin does sick solos behind the fun harmonies of John Doe and Exene Cervenka, there will always be room for the Knitters. Dagummit.
"Wrecking Ball" live in Boston:


Langhorne Slim

• Live Show
  

How good was country rocker Langhorne Slim on that August night at Europa? This episode of SPTV is getting a third airing:


Les Sans Culottes

• Live Show
  
• Record: Le Weekender
  

It was a good year for Les Sans. Several solid gigs in support of a solid record, Le Weekender, led by the towering, massively wonderful smash “Les Enfants Terribles”.
Let's tie in LSC with another 2007 moment, the loss of Lee Hazelwood:



Little Amber Bottles by Blanche
2004’s If We Can’t Trust Doctors remains some of the greatest 40 minutes ever made in history. With that precedent, it was going to be near impossible for Blanche to top it, and though they didn’t get there, they made a hell of a stab at it. Also, through no fault of their own, the drama of getting this LP released and the start-and-stop shenanigans around that, took a lot of the wind out of the excitement for this one. That all being said, it is still a great album, led by last year’s fantastic “What This Town Needs” (which had a fantastic video released this year). If only “At Least I Didn’t Quit” found its way onto the record, this would have been closer to perfect.


Looker

• Live Show
  

One of the finer discoveries of 2007, though it was more a case of taking the initiative than just stumbling across yet another band. And what a pay off. Fun, snappy pop-punk and now even the Brits are hearing about it. Big things are in store.
WavedRumor's video of the same song at CMJ kicks the SPTV clip's ass from here to Pluto:


The Love Me Nots

• Live Show
  
• Record: In Black & White
• Song: "Move In Tight"
  

Let it be known here and now for all time: Only 3 bands that have ever requested the friendship of E.D. have turned out to be good. The dance-band Gorbachov, from Ireland; the BellRays – yes THE BellRays; and Arizona’s the Love Me Nots. Arguably the last band standing that has a good retro look, the LMN’s are breaking hearts out west most of the year. In 2008, they need to make a return trip East.

Live somewhere not in New York

Mercury Lounge
One of New York’s most reliable venues had a great year with two Yarrows gigs (though the house sound guy at the second gig can go suck a lemon), hosting the In The Red showcase at CMJ, being home to the discovery of Action Painters and Wormburner, and allowing Franz Nicolay to strum in a more simple, calm setting.

Metric

• Live Show
  

I’d still be shooting myself in the foot for missing Heavy Trash but Emily Hanes was just too vexing to ignore. It was worth it. One of the best gigs of the year. The sound was perfect, even for Webster, the light show was out of control, and everyone was cool at this gig.
"Dead Disco" at Webster Hall, via The Cocoon:


“Modern World” by Jesse Malin
Little Steven’s Underground Garage was barely heard at SPHQ this year but here’s yet another showcased track that stood out and nagged away. That program has still got it.
Video (of sorts)

Mondo Topless

• Live Show
  

What would a year in music be without Mondo Topless performing live somewhere? They never stop being good.
SPTV:


“The Moneymaker” by Rilo Kiley
Sure, Under The Blacklight was just about the most god-awful piece of crap released this year. Well…not really…but close. And this much-hated song is actually one of the better ones. And sure, the porn stars in the video were ugly as hell but that was just to make sure everyone knows how hot Jenny Lewis is. Campy fun on an otherwise overcooked turkey.


Morrissey

• Live Show
  

Stephen Patrick charms the socks off everyone, including all live show virgins. And the fact that he ended the show with a recent track that drove the fans mental proves he’s lost very little in the way of steps over the years.
And here it is!:

CMJ 2007, Night 1: Looker, Wormburner, Vegabond, Teenage Prayers, Mixtapes and Cellmates, John White

Unlike other multi-gig reviews, we're doing this one in chronological order, not the usual reverse.

John White
@ Cake Shop
New York, NY - October 16, 2007

Sonic Parthenon's CMJ Music Marathon coverage got underway with a stop-in at the free show going on at the Cake Shop. New Zealander John White offers delicate acoustic folk in the vein of Iron & Wine. Gentle, mellow, but also ethereal and a bit spooky.

Teenage Prayers; Mixtapes and Cellmates
@ Arlene's Grocery
New York, NY - October 16, 2007

The Teenage Prayers began their set with a bit of bar-band rock and it was looking good but they were foiled by sound problems. Another problem for the New York band, was that some of the better tunes were sidelined by the cluttered, noisy ones. The band sounds better when it is organized. Their 70's pop-rock inspirations work better than their Grateful Dead and Band inspirations.

The Teenage Prayers
Mixtapes and Cellmates, a young quartet from Stockholm opened the CMJ festivities at Arlene's with their own sound problems and they thought for sure they had played a trainwreck. But surprise, surprise, they sounded alright and maybe more importantly their overall sonic template is really good. A bit Britpop, this band sounded familiar but was hard to define. If anything, their synth backbeat leads to something on the order of Coldplay meets VHS or Beta. They make good, thinking music, but you can move to it, or just let it wash over you. This is music ripe for a good soundtrack. This may be one of the better discoveries at this year's marathon.

Mixtapes and Cellmates

Wormburner; Vegabond
@ Midway
New York, NY - October 16, 2007

Last time (the first time) I saw Wormburner I was really drunk. Incredibly, and needlessly, drunk. And I liked what I heard. Wormburner had to pass the sobriety test and the band passed it with flying colors. Glorious power rock, at times pop, at times all out rock n roll, Wormburner blends the needless rock labeling system and spits out something incredibly catchy and fun. They are having a great time up there and they bring it out in the audience. Stay tuned, this is going to be one of New York's best.

Wormburner

It's not often, if ever, an overtly hostile review of a band is put on this blog. I try to go out of my way to not overtly criticize a band beyond the flaws that I, as an average listener with no personal musical expertise, may see. But then there are times like Vegabond. I am sorry, guys, I really am. I don't mean to be a total insensitive ass about this but...this was awful. Utterly awful. It's not that Goth-metal can't be my thing at times - anything can be good at some point - but this was just trite, uninspired, shlock rock.

Looker
@ Pianos
New York, NY - October 16, 2007

By a stroke of luck, I caught the last 2 and a half songs by Looker for the fourth and final gig of the night. The sound at Pianos was much kinder to the band than the set-up at the Lucky Cat's, showcasing the quartet's knack for pop hooks and rock n' roll. The sizable crowd was really into it. A great nightcap to end a packed first night of CMJ 2007.

Looker

SPTV: CMJ Music Marathon 2007

Photos

Artist of the Week: Bands of CMJ; AKA The Attempted Sonic Parthenon CMJ Itinerary

Killing two birds with one stone, this weeks' artists of note are the bands to be seen, or to try to be seen, for the CMJ Music Marathon. Some of these shows overlap so there won't be reviews of some of these bands but it is heartily recommended that if you don't see one, see the other.

Tuesday, October 16

Teenage Prayers @ Arlene's Grocery
These New Yorkers got short shrift when they opened for the Hold Steady at Prospect Park now is the time to make it right.

Wormburner @ Midway
Fun local guys that know how to party. This time, we're seein' 'em sober!

Sam Champion & Looker @ Pianos
How much can a band capitalize on the name of a weatherman? Find out. And before that, see New York's best pop-punk band.

Wednesday, October 17

Nikki Corvette and the Stingrays & Black Tie Revue @ Southpaw
A hot rockin' gal and Pittsburgh's best and brightest all on one bill. The latter have a pop-punk record but they are pure good time garage live.

Thursday, October 18

The Dirtbombs, Jay Reatard, The Intelligence, Miss Alex White, Cheap Time, & Turbo Fruits @ Mercury Lounge
Two bands from Nashville, one from Memphis, one from Seattle, one from Chicago, and the headliners from...what's that city? I forget. But they're good. And half of this bill is practically guranteed good and the rest are looking good. Maybe the bill of the festival.

Action Painters @ Europa
A great New York band. Utterly great.

Friday, October 19

Sahara Hotnights & The 1900's @ Bowery Ballroom
The Sahara Hotnights won't go away and they prove it by flying over from Sweden just to play this one set. We may have to check them out just because. The 1900's are a cute little pop band from Chicago. 2008 may be Chicago's year, and if it is, this band will play a big part in it.

The Nouvellas @ Magnetic Field
Dansettes 2.0 take off on Atlantic Ave.

The Dirtbombs @ Southpaw
The Dirtbombs for the nightcap.

Saturday, October 20

The Hard Lessons @ Magnetic Field
Get the last night of CMJ off to a rockin' start with these kids. But don't wear yourself out just yet...

The Dirtbombs @ Maxwell's
The SP house band, and this year's CMJ house band it seems, end the fest with their traditional hour-plus party in Hoboken.