Neil Young & Crazy Horse played Madison Square Garden

My only prior experience seeing Neil Young, was in 2008 when he was doing a combination of his greatest hits and new pleasures. This was not that same show. This time around, Neil has taken Crazy Horse out for another wild ride and watching these guys jam for over two hours was surely a sight to be seen. It has been called the "Crazy Horse Huddle", where Neil, Billy Talbot, and Frank "Poncho" Sampedro stand in a close-knit circle and repeatedly blast each other with monstrous guitar solos so larger than life, it's a wonder any of them can still hear and that their guitar necks don't break on a nightly basis. Entering to the Beatles' "A Day in the Life", stage hands dressed as crazed scientists assembled ten foot tall amps reminiscent from the Rust Never Sleeps era and the legends launched into "Love and Only Love" before the classic "Powderfinger". Gargantuan licks erupted from the band and Neil's signature thundering guitar seemed to be just as powerful as ever. From here on out, the band alternated between some classics and new tunes from the recent Psychedelic Pill. "Walk Like a Giant" can easily be seen as the junior to Neil's classic "Like a Hurricane" and it definitely has an ego complex. Stretched out to an epic 16+ minute long jam, junior might not be appropriate, however the homage to its older counterpart is crystal clear. The juggernaut of a tune culminated with a five minute long noise jam that you would expect from Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr, but clearly the Godfather of Grunge is not ready to hand over his title any time soon. At this point in his career, Neil is privileged enough to do what he wants, such as recycle riffs that worked for him decades prior and in a sense, reinvent his own wheel. Midway through his two hour performance, the acoustic portion of the set kicked off with the onstage banter from Live Rust and fake rain poured down on the stage as Neil delighted the crowd with "The Needle and the Damage Done". After the brief acoustic stint, it was back to the rocking classics. Another new jam, "Ramada Inn" was followed by an enthusiastic "Cinnamon Girl" from the Crazy Horse time machine and really saw people rise to their feet. The night concluded with "Mr. Soul" from Neil's days with Buffalo Springfield before the droning closer "Hey Hey, My My". For many in attendance, the show did not feature enough of the classis, which Mr Young certainly has enough of to make up an entire setlist, however watching these four men jam out with brilliant guitar playing was definitely a treat. For almost half a century, Neil Young has been a pioneer in both his song-writing and colossal sounding guitar and his performance at Madison Square Garden certainly aided to the idea that this living legend has inspired countless acts over the years even well into his tenure, Neil can outplay many that linger in his shadow.

Setlist:
01 "Love and Only Love"
02 "Powderfinger"
03 "Born in Ontario"
04 "Walk Like a Giant"
05 "The Needle and the Damage Done"
06 "Twisted Road"
07 "Singer without a Song"
08 "Ramada Inn"
09 "Cinnamon Girl"
10 "Fuckin Up"
11 "Mr. Soul" (Buffalo Springfield song)
12 "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"
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13 "Roll Another Number for the Road"

Metz played Mercury Lounge

After obliterating the Knitting Factory during Sub Pop's CMJ Showcase, it was made clear that Metz was an act never to miss. As Mercury Lounge fell into darkness, the Toronto thrashers erupted in sonic furry that bubbled up into oblivion before collapsing into an absolute audio assault. In a year when punk has been resurrected to the indie circuit with bands like the Men channeling their inner Dinosaur Jr and Hüsker Dü and Titus Andronicus echoing the Replacements, Metz have angled their sound towards the more agressive and noise ridden tendencies of the Jesus Lizard and Big Black. Their striking and violent guitar is brought forth with sinister melodies and blood-curdling screams that are enough to give anyone an instant asthma attack, yet these guys still found time to joke aboot being from Canada. Jagged guitars rip at the pulsating bass lines and cymbals crash down like thunder; there was no stopping these three. They wrenched their guitar necks with such vigor and in such syncopation; their rhythms completely locked into a solid groove. "Get Off" and "The Mule" had some particular angst, but really there was never a dull moment. From the jolting opening until the ear bleeding finish, Metz were razor sharp delivering blow after blow to a masochistic crowd and a hyper-extended "Wet Blanket" delivered the knockout punch to end the trio's lightening set.

Widowspeak - "Ballad of the Golden Hour"

Widowspeak (my favorite Brooklyn band at the moment) has announced that they will release Almanac, the follow-up to their brilliant self-titled debut album, on January 22 via Captured Tracks. The album was produced by Kevin McMahon who also worked on Real Estate's Days and Titus Andonicus' The Monitor. You can check out the album art above and download the first single "Ballad of the Golden Hour" below as well as the full tracklist.

Widowspeak - "Ballad of the Golden Hour"

Tracklist:

01"Perennials"
02 "Dyed in the Wool"
03 "The Dark Age"
04 "Thick as Thieves"
05 "Almanac"
06 "Ballad of the Golden Hour"
07 "Devil Knows"
08 "Sore Eyes"
09 "Locusts"
10 "Minnewaska"
11 "Spirit is Willing"
12 "Storm King"

Buke and Gase - "Blue Monday"

Brooklyn lo-fi folk punks Buke and Gase have released a cover of New Order's epic "Blue Monday" to benefit relief efforts in Red Hook, Brooklyn from Hurricane Sandy. Living in New York City for almost seven years now, I cannot begin to describe the events of the past week. It was unlike anything I've been through as a New Yorker and hopefully something that no one will have to live through again. Stay safe everyone!

Atoms for Peace - "What the Eyeballs Did"

Here's a new one from Thom Yorke and Co. (now known as Atoms for Peace) called "What the Eyeballs Did". It's the b-side to "Default" which they debuted a few months back and was premiered yesterday by Mary Anne Hobbs (you can here her talking at the end). As you would expect, Flea lays down a killer bass line.

Their new album is expected in early 2012.

The Weeknd played Terminal 5

For a man shrouded in mystery, Abel Tesfaye better known these days as The Weeknd, had no problem packing Terminal 5 to capacity to deliver a stunning set of material from three mixtapes that will see an actual release next month. Within a year, The Weeknd went from a small bedroom project to playing headlining slots at major music festivals. Tesfaye's smooth as silk vocals have been reportedly unimpressive live, but he was in top form for this sold out crowd. Playing all the hits "Wicked Games", "Lonely Star", "High For This" the audience was in the palm of his hand shouting along to every word.  Backed with a sensational live band, every note was perfect, it begs the question of how big could this project get if everyone stays on board. He's already had guest appearances from Drake and it seems inevitable that he will soon reach a level many never would have imagined. "Loft Music" and "The Party & The After Party" acted as nice shout-outs to Beach House and the overdose of Siouxsie and The Banshees' "Happy House" had people losing their minds and made me wonder how many people knew what they were screaming along with. The technicolor pulsating orbs added flash and the breakdown into the second half of "Glass Table Girls" sounded rich in trip-hop nostalgia (hell Portishead's epic Dummy was the house music before the guy took the stage). When Trilogy hits stores in November, it'll be interesting to see how much of a shift there is in the momentum of his career and just how much bigger he'll get. "The doctors told me to cancel these shows" Tesfaye told us at one point, but 3 sold out shows in New York City was just something he couldn't pass up. Thursday evening he even dropped a new track "Empty" "for the fans that can't make it" in NYC which features a nod to The Smith's "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want". He knows his music and isn't afraid to acknowledge his indie indulgences something the R&B genre is not necessarily known for doing. His first mixtape "House of Balloons" showcased his strongest song writing so far, but he could still be on the verge of his biggest and best work to date.

Titus Andronicus played Shea Stadium

"We put together the longest setlist of the band's career, so everyone get comfortable. We have about twelve more songs to go." That's not something a band typically announces shortly into their set. For the release of their third record, Local Business, New Jersey punks Titus Andronicus annihilated Shea Stadium with an almost two hour long set comprised of material from all three of their excellent records. Before heading out in support of the new album, the band played a final local sendoff to many friends and family in the intimate loft space and ripped through a stunning display of power-pop riffs, swelling choruses, and Replacement style break downs. Phenomenal transitions between songs are part of what makes Titus' albums so great and the live renditions only amplify the band's talent. "Ecce Homo" into "Still Life with Hot Deuce On Silver Platter" kicked off the evening and "Food Fight" into "My Eating Disorder" really riled things up. Patrick announced at one point that the band had to relearn a bunch of their older songs and they even debuted a brand new song that doesn't appear on their new album. "I Gotta Date Tonight" blended into "In A Big City" which was probably the best received new track and "(I am The) Electric Man" transitioned into a stomping cover of "Do You Love Me?". The expanded line-up allows for a triple guitar attack and gives their new material a richer sound and heightens any of their previous material. Naming their record Local Business exemplifies the communal nature of the band which is a vital aspect of how they operate. The band brought out drummer Eric Harm's father Steven to join in on harmonica for "Tried to Quit Smoking" as he does on the record and former guitarist Amy Klein got down in the pit. While the new tracks sounded great, part of what makes their live show so special is the involvement from the crowd so it might take some time for these songs to see their full potential. The chanting of the lyrics back to the men onstage instills a connection rarely seen by bands and their crowd. Titus Andronicus is band by the people for the people. Their charged anthems are composed of definite political context beyond the Civil War analogies of The Monitor and perhaps the best part of Local Business is the directness of the lyrics. The grandiose song writing doesn't seem as abstract as it has in the past (Patrick Stickles actually has an eating disorder and wrote "(I Am The) Electric Man" after being jolted during band practice) and this could be some of their most accessible material to date. Since the beginning of their career, there have been countless claims that they've been inspired by Springsteen (a plague to anyone from the Garden State), however on this record it seems truer than ever. They are working class men from the other side of the river. Their themes are embedded in blue collar hometown roots. They themselves are their own Local Business.

Metz and King Tuff played Knitting Factory

Hot off the release of their self-titled debut album, Toronto noise punks Metz are in the midst of a busy CMJ week here in New York and took part in Sub Pop's showcase at Knitting Factory. The trio wasted no time as they began their shrieking attack before the house music even faded away. Their blitz style of a performance featured high swinging guitars and blistering energy powered by slashing riffs and heavy drones of fuzzed out bass. With their record clocking in just shy of thirty minutes, there wasn't any longevity to be expected from their show, but it certainly packed a punch as raucous shouts joined post-punk brood. "Wet Blanket" (a personal highlight from their album) brought their set to an end after a battering jam threw out one final punch.

After Metz's punishing attack King Tuff brought the vibes to a much more mellow setting as his party induced jams flooded the room. His recent release fell slightly under the radar, but there is no doubt his sing-a-long style is sure to be met with smiles. Following such a charged set, his tunes certainly felt more relaxed, but just as exciting and even pleasurable. Power-pop melodies were inundated with sugary sweet choruses and Kyle even dedicated a track to a moose he saw on the highway in Canada. Who doesn't love a cute moose? For over an hour, King Tuff blazed through one of the longer sets I've even seen at CMJ (especially for a non-headliner) oozing good times and positive energy even if he is a self proclaimed "Bad Thing"!

Fiona Apple played Terminal 5

After a few teases, the lights dimmed, a herd rushed on stage, and Fiona Apple launched into her stellar show at Terminal 5. Without hesitation, the songstress enveloped the building with "Fast As You Can" and never let up. Her sensational set list highlighted her entire body of work and each song was performed with such passion and emotion that you'd think she hadn't disappeared for years. Shadowboxer into Paperbag was magical and the follow up of recent stunner "Anything We Want" showcased her brilliant ability to transition between songs written so far apart. Every song was met with monstrous applause and cheers and it was evident that her devoted fans were out in full force. Some had probably waited over a decade to sing a long word for word with every lyric that was delivered with intense vigor by Apple. Such intensity that in some cases it resulted in her collapsing to the floor. While her newest album The Idler Wheel... is rather sparse in comparison to her past material, their live renditions breathed a new energy into each track that gave them new life and flaunted her band's talent. A year ago, no one would have predicted the number of chances New Yorkers would have to see their hometown darling and that might be what made this show (and tour) so special. For someone notoriously known for her erratic stage presence, Fiona Apple reappeared from the abyss not only with some of her best work to date, but with a rejuvenated live show that was light years better than anyone could have hoped for or expected.

Setlist:
"Fast As You Can"
"On the Bound"
"Shadowboxer"
"Paper Bag"
"Anything We Want"
"Get Gone"
"Periphery"
"Sleep to Dream"
"Extraordinary Machine"
"Werewolf"
"Left Alone"
"I Know"
"Tymps (The Stick in the Head Song)"
"Daredevil"
"Not About Love"
"It's Only Make Believe" (Conway Twitty Cover)

Kanye West - "White Dress"

Hopefully you've heard that RZA is about to make his directorial debut with The Man With the Iron Fists and if not, well now you know. The awesome cast features Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, RZA, was written by RZA and Eli Roth and produced by Quentin Tarantino. Damn! With a cast and crew like that, you'd imagine it would also have a killer soundtrack. You'd be correct. Check out Kanye's track "White Dress" which has been getting buzz all week thanks to the lyric "You like pina coladas / Gettin' caught in the rain / Or rocking flannels all summer like Kurt Cobain."