The Sonic Parthenon Playlist: May 2009

Oops we skipped over May! Meaning we missed:

Brakesbrakesbrakes - "Crush on You"
Maybe the 90's are coming back afterall - a grungey sound with those semi-sweet mid-90's pop lyrics. Figures they're English...they just must be now getting into it.

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Right now, Metric's Fantasies is the best record of the year. This is number 2.

Elks - "Collide"
They just could be just another one of the many bands with an animal for their name, but instead Elks choose to copy the anthemic indie rock the likes of Longwave and Parts & Labor. Tis a fine choice. Besides, there has to be someone out there not listening to Grizzly Bear.

Great Northern - "Houses"
Excellent new track from the not-a-fluke dark rockers out of Southern California. Eat it Silversun Pickups!

Ben Harper & Relentless 7- "Shimmer and Shine"
Harper dropped the Innocent Criminals and the pot-head friendliness in exchange for Relentless 7 and just rocking the hell out. Good call. He's still a sap in the lyrics department though. Actually this isn't too different from "Crush on You".

The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage
Yeah I don't know who these guys are or why they have a live record or why I play it almost every day...

I Was A King - "Norman Bleik"
Picking up where "Saints" by Army Navy hasn't really left off yet, this is a strong power pop number from Scandinavia. How do they keep doing that over there?!

King Khan & The Shrines - "Land of the Freak"
All thanks to that gig in early May, I can't stop playing this James Brown meets Greg Cartwright escapade.

St. Vincent - tracks from Actor
I haven't heard much of the new record but "The Strangers" satiated me for a spell.

Honorable Mentions: Jarvis Cocker, Passion Pit

Dirtbombs at Golden Plains; Black Lips at Other Music

Performance of "Underdog"



The Dirtbombs' session at Other Music will premiere on June 27th.
Past recorded sessions include:
White Williams
Richard Hawley
Celebration
No Age
St. Vincent

Schedule Two: Videos of the Hold Steady, St. Vincent, the Thermals, more...

Not a bad site at all, just needs some embedding features.

Tapes 'n Tapes (1 of 2)
Voxtrot
Akron/Family (1 of 2)
The Hold Steady
Asobi Seksu
Grizzly Bear
The Thermals
Andrew Bird
The Rosebuds
St. Vincent

Sonic Parthenon's The Year In Music 2007: Part 5

“Shabop Shalom” by Devandra Banheardt
This one got annoying really fast, especially lyrically, but the melodic roots of weirdo Devandra’s shane madel soliloquy are hard to pass up.
Listen here

Spoon

• Songs: “The Underdog”; “You Got Yr Cherry Bomb”

Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was more than praised on the year-end lists and whatever whatever, the point is, these two tracks showcase Britt and the gang at their best. Pleasant and pop-filled, that is where Spoon succeeds and always with a little bit of funk or soul to boot. If only they had more oomph, they would be all over this blog like some other bands.

Cherry Bomb on SNL

Southpaw
If Terminal 5 owned the major acts during the final quarter of the year, Southpaw held down the fort for the entirety of it. The Dirtbombs, Reigning Sound, the Raveonettes, Black Tie Revue, Electric Six, and Les Sans Culottes all had fun there this year.

St. Vincent

• Song: “Paris is Burning”

“Marry Me” and “Paris is Burning” are but two of the reasons that Annie Clark is a resident Indie cutie. Oh yeah, and she has substance too. Just make sure she has a band backing her.


Stephanie’s Id

• Live Show
• Record: Grus Americanus
  

One random night at Sidewalk can do wonders. One of the great secrets on the Indie circuit (a secret for now at least), Ashevillians Stephanie’s Id should be a force to reckon with in the coming years.
Live Slice

Terminal 5
I think I live here. That’s right, there’s a little cubby hole for Elwood D. Pennypacker to crawl into at night. This makes it easier since it feels like there is a Sonic Parthenon gig review from Terminal 5 just about every night of the week. The National kicked off the joint (with St. Vincent), and very quickly the place was overwhelmed by Gogol Bordello, Band of Horses, the Hold Steady, Art Brut, 1990s, and Ween. And in the interim, the Shins, Justice and M.I.A. held down the fort. Quite the line-up for a brand new place, right off the bat. It’s like an expansion team starting out with all-stars. And the madness continues next year with Blonde Redhead, the Raveonettes, and Cat Power, among others, booked. But it’s all going to be a wash if the Bowery Presents can’t find a way to improve the sound quality in the house. It’s too drum and bass heavy. Vocals are done a disservice. And even worse than that, crowd control and movement is a problem on many nights because of the way they laid out the place. And of course on top of all that is the out of the way location. They may want to consider shuttle busses or vans to Columbus Circle.

Uncle Monk

• Live Show

Ol’ Tommy Ramone is having a blast with his bluegrass project and he’s making us all have a blast with him.


Union Hall
Not to be outdone by Southpaw or even big, bad Terminal 5 – yuppie Union Hall, the most beautiful looking venue in the city, had a very good year with the Hard Lessons, the XYZ Affair, and a trio of the Chicago bands – the Changes, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, and the 1900’s. Rumors are going around that the owners will shift the venue to an out of the ways spot in Sunset Park (offset by rumors that the owners of the old Bottom Line are contemplating a joint in the same place). They shouldn’t do it.

Vampire Weekend
The most pushed blog band of the year, Vampire Weekend delivered on all the promises by other people and even withstood the insta-backlash. More one dimensional with their Afro-centric pop than the last mega-hyped band, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, VW will nevertheless be good to have around for a long while.
SPTV's Most Popular Video:


VHS or Beta

• Live Show
• Record: Bring On The Comets
• Songs: “Can’t Believe A Single Word”; “Burn It All Down”
  

Kinda dorky and so-cool-they’re-square, VHS or Beta is certainly not afraid to do what they do. And they do it damn well. Be tough all you want, you are dared not to move to “Can’t Believe A Single Word” and “Burn It All Down”. And quiet, alone time is what “Fall Down Lightly” is made for. Very sneakily, they are kind of one of the bands of the year. Yeah, go figure. Good for them!