Pixies played Hammerstein Ballroom

At roughly 9:00 Dali's Un Chien Andalou began to play and shortly afterwards the Pixies took the stage to much approval. Kim Deal quickly shouted out b-sides and the band shelled out four songs before getting into the heart of the show. The opening bassline of "Debaser" thumped out and everyone went ecstatic. The band was not very enthusiastic and lacked the high energy that their songs contain, however the evening was still every bit as memorable as I hoped. Songs such as "Debaser" "Mr. Grieves" and "Crackity Jones" got the crowd going and perhaps if it had been a night during the band's initial run int the late 1980s things would have gotten intense. Now it was more about watching these indie giants play their masterpiece. It was all about the craft of the album and hearing it played live from start to finish. The band doesn't pretend to be young and run all over the stage. They stood poised and powered along with the perfection that each one of the songs deserved. Kim Deal gave slight commentary where appropriate such as "end of side one" and "more b-sides" which confirmed the cool aura that band imparted to the audience. After finishing the album and better known b-sides, which included a slowed down version of the always excellent "Wave of Mutilation" the band rocked some other classics from their catolog and polished off the night with their best non-Doolittle songs "Where is My Mind" and "Gigantic" which Kim sang to perfection. Aside from the obviously near perfect setlist, highlights included the video screen behind the band which played excellent accompanying videos to each song. Despite the fact that playing a classic album in its entirety is becoming more and more of a tradition, it was still simply amazing to see one of the best albums from the 1980s, and possibly ever, played all the way through. Many of the songs have not been played in decades or ever at all and did anyone else know that David Lovering does the awesome vocal work on "La La Love You"?

Pixies Hammerstein Ballroom - 11/23/09
"Dancing The Manta Ray"
"Weird At My School"
"Bailey's Walk"
"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"
"No. 13 Baby"
"There Goes My Gun"
"Hey"
"Silver"
"Gouge Away"
--
"Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)"
"Into the White"
--
"Isla De Encanta"
some of "Vamos"
"Nimrod's Son"
"Where is My Mind"
"Gigantic"

Andreas Kocks

Andreas Kocks is an artist who was born in Germany and now resides in the United States. Her works include watercolors, sculptures, and what I think are the coolest, paperworks. The above image as well as the one below are some of the paperworks that she has created. She is currently featured at the Winston Wächter Fine Art in New York until the end of November 2009. She also has an upcoming exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York until April 2010.

(images from the artists website)

Solange covers Dirty Projectors

Back in June I raved about the new single from Dirty Projectors and since then it has become one of the most blogged about songs of the year and still remains one of my favorites of the year. Now the love for the song has spread. Recently New York (that's the magazine) called it the best song from Brooklyn and now Solange Knowles, who has that famous sister, has covered the song. From its release, the song has been called an R&B song for the indie kids and Solange handles the R&B with great skill. As a friend recently said "those knowles girls, love 'em." (Image and mp3 via Stereogum.)

mp3: Solange - "Stillness is the Move (Dirty Projectors cover)"

Lightning Bolt played Above the Auto Parts Store

I am not sure if I could think of a band I would rather see on Devil's Night. Since being introduce to Lightning Bolt back in 2005, their live show has been held to such high regard in my head that I was unsure if I would ever actually be able to witness it. However about fifteen minutes after midnight on what was technically Halloween Brian Chippendale and Brian Gibson began their audio assault. The space above the actual auto parts store was jammed with people and the sweat poured out the second you came in contact with anyone. While Lightning Bolt is typically known for playing on the floor of venues this was not the case for the evening, which I will admit was a disappointment for me. However the band still packed a punch with their all out driving and pounding performance. Seconds after the band started I was split up from my friends and enjoyed the rest of the show alone. Although it was difficult to see the band, Chippendale made up for it with his bombastic drumming that was unlike any I have ever heard before, and Gibson played with plenty of distortion and fuzz that it felt like an entire ensemble was blasting music in front of me, not just two men. After everything I had anticipated from these guys, they did not leave anything out. The band was a force with sonic fury that allowed nothing to stand in their way. Chippendale's screams and palpitating drumming are among the best I have ever seen and I can only hope to re-witness something of his caliber again one day.

The xx played the Apple Store Soho

CMJ is always a fun week in the city since there are countless shows to attend, however this year seemed to lack a many bands I wanted to see. The UK group The xx has been getting pretty solid reviews of their self-titled debut and while I enjoy the album it also seems to be lacking something. The sound never gets too big, the music is ultra simplistic, but the voices sounds really great. Putting a label on the sound is also rather difficult. They mix 80's post-punk, with R&B, and indie-pop. While the album sounds hollow, I figured I should not pass up a free show. The venue was pretty packed by the time the band took the stage a little after 7:00 and the band began to play pretty much straight through their album adding in a cover of "Teardrops" which is off their bonus disc. While the band did sound much fuller live, then on record, the show still lacked a certain element. The four members stood in a line behind two giant boxes with an "x" and lacked a real presence. The music is very low-key without watching the band, and the live performance did not do much to add to the experience. There were definitely some points where the crowd was feeling the energy and tried to dance and shuffle around and the dueling male/female vocals were still really intriguing and the band was loud. In all it was definitely a step up from a record that I already enjoy. However I think this is a record that will be most enjoyed super late at night. It's an after the party album best played when everyone has gone home and you and your friends are almost about to pass out. Throw on this record, sit back, reflect.

Hop Along played an apartment in Brooklyn

On Columbus Day weekend back in 2006 I was given an album entitled Freshman Year by a singer under the name Hop Along Queen Ansleis and it became one of the most sentimental albums of my college years. That was the one of the last weekends I would gather with my best friends from high school and the album was played on repeat. Three years later I was finally able to see Hop Along perform in a small intimate apartment in Bushwick Brooklyn. That album is a collective of background sounds layered under acoutic folkie guitar, however her recent demos have featured a backing band and I was very intrigued to see how this new lineup would relate to her older sounds. After three excellent performances from the other bands on the bill, Hop Along was accompanied by a drummer and bass player and began to perform her new renditions of which I can only seem to compare to Explosions in the Sky meets Band of Horses with female vocals. My friend Franny said it reminded her of Land of Talk. Either way Frances brought a rich lush sound that echoed throughout the small space and unfortunately overpowered her unique vocal styling; something that is always a problem at shows in spaces that size. This was one of the only sets from the night in which I felt the entire audience was engaged and had people singing along with Frances. She only played "Bride and Groom" off of Freshman Year, but it was performed with such perfection that it made the entire night worthwhile. After her brief set she announced she would perform a cover in dedication to the people she had been on the road with and then burst into Bush's "Glycerin" which happens to be a personal favorite of mine. The entire room erupted in a sing-a-long and provided the perfect end to an evening full of excellent truly independent music.

The Big Pink - Live on French TV

Along with The xx, The Big Pink have been one of the biggest acts from across the pond this fall. Their hit "Dominoes" has been getting pretty solid reviews as they bring forth an interesting mix of shoegaze/electro-rock on their debut album A Brief History of Love. As a whole the album is pretty heavy with loud distorted guitar sounds, driving bass, and what appears to be a pretty rockin drummer. Video above as well as one for "Too Young to Love" via P4K.

The Most Serene Republic played le Poisson Rouge

Ever since I heard the debut album by The Most Serene Republic I had been a quest to see this band live. Their interesting mix of poppy post-rock which I think of as a mix of Death Cab for Cutie and label-mates Broken Social Scene. Their records have all been easily accessible but layered with great sounds as well. All of their work is very intriguing and while they always follow their own sound each album still manages to sound a little unique. After years of trying to see them live, only to have other events get in the way, I was finally able to make it a reality last Thursday. I arrived after the band had already started, but the unusually early start time of 7:30 had granted me a good spot in the small crowd. The band powered through tracks from all of their albums and had great interaction from the audience. At one point the lead singer asked if it was worth it to buy the first Ramones album on vinyl, to which I replied with a thumbs up, and he said well alright I guess I'll go buy it tomorrow. Many reviews of TMSR have said that there is too much going on in their records and the band cannot really focus on a direction, however their live shows prove everything that gets lost in the studio. This is perhaps the most accurate way to describe the show. The triple guitars, bass, keys, drums, and a variety of other instruments all came together so well on stage. The only thing that really plagued this performance was that the band was suddenly switched from headliner to opener which drastically cut down their set time and had them playing for a much too small crowd.

Vampire Weekend - "Horchata"

Almost two years ago Vampire Weekend released their self-titled debut LP that either everyone loved or everyone loved to hate. Despite being critically acclaimed there were many who called it overrated bad pop by rich stuck-up white kids in boat shoes. I personally thought it was one of the best pop albums in recent years. Almost two years later they will release their follow up, Contra, and yesterday the band posted the first track on their website. "Horchata" ditches the poppy guitars but still sounds every bit as catchy as any song off of the first album. In a decade where very few bands have been able to repeat the same success as their debut, these kids might stand a chance.

Vampire Weekend - "Horchata" mp3

Fever Ray played Webster Hall

(photo from Stereogum)

Fever Ray's self titled debut album is the most haunting album of the past year, and perhaps the past decade. The eerie sounds highly resemble that of Karin Andersson's first project, The Knife, and of course her vocals are unlike anything else in music today. The only downside to the record is that it seems to plateau, very highly, with the first track. It never climaxes and leaves you wanting a little something more. The show personified the record to the fullest extent and in places where you are left wanting more, the live performance filled in the blanks. The show was dark. The opening pounding of "If I Had A Heart" was accompanied with smoke and two thin laser beams that eventually opened up when the experience commenced. From that moment the crowd was hypnotized. The live band was dressed in nightmarish costumes and danced in a daze. When Karin appeared she was donned in a headdress that resembles something I wish to see in "Where The Wild Things Are." The entire show was a spectacle that was totally embraced by the music. Everything was back-lit, there was constant smoke, there were lamps that looked like they were straight from grandma's house, and there were green lasers protruding the hall and cutting through the smoke like... well a knife. While there were few glimpses of Karin's actual face, which did have some make-up, the show added to the mystery effect that is Fever Ray. You never really know what is happening. You see the body onstage the band playing live, but there is still that longing to see everything that is making this sonic pleasure. For once, Webster Hall had a great sound show. The prerecorded tracking was killer and the bass was loud. Her vocals were a little weak at times, but overall the sonic aura was amazing. Fever Ray is a mystique. There is mystery shrouded in that dark dissonant ambient texture. It captivates and takes hold of the listener and even more impressively is that it delivers better live then on record. When everyone vanished into the darkness and the lasers disappeared the house lights came on and the trance ended. For an hour it seemed as if we entered a dream and lost sense of what else was happening and then we came down shook our heads and tried to transcribe what had just happened.

Setlist (via The Music Slut)
If I Had A Heart
Triangle Walks
Concrete Walls
Seven
I’m Not Done
Now’s The Only Time I Know
Keep The Streets Empty
Dry & Dusty
Stranger Than Kindness
When I Grow Up
Here Before
Coconut