Candy Claws, Tape Deck Mountain, Wise Blood @ The Delancey CMJ Showcase, October 20th, 2010

I guess Candy Claws were the reason why I trekked out to The Delancey for this CMJ show. Their new album Hidden Lands is dreamy, like the soundtrack to some psychedelic stop-motion christmas movie with paper mache elves and talking snowmen. And they're from San Diego, what's not to like? Okay, so they lose points for the zorro masks, but gain points for wearing headphones on stage. See, it all works out! I really liked what the guitar player was doing, fabulous stuff. Their songs don't follow a straight traditional rock structure (verse, chorus, verse). It's more classical, with key modulations and variation on a theme, less repetition. Different! Good!




Tape Deck Mountain is an awesome band name. Guess what? It's also a damn fine band. Kinda post-shoegaze? This was Carl's favorite band of night. I really liked their lyrics, which surprisingly, you could make out loud and clear. The drummer was simultaneously playing a keyboard throughout, the guitarist had an elaborate looping effects setup, and the bassist plays through a Rat pedal. Cool!

I like bands that get wasted before their CMJ showcase, scream their guts out, rip off their shirt, sample The Beatles, and only play for 15 minutes, like Wise Blood.

Women w/ DDMMYYYY @ Knitting Factory, October 9th, 2010

Phew! Women were amazing. One of the best shows I've seen in a while. You know who they remind me of? The Joggers! But a little more 60's pop psych. I just love those jangly guitars! Their new album Public Strain is really solid, def in my top ten this year... I only saw the last few songs from DD/MM/YYYY, but they're also fun! Spazzy artsy uptempo indie math rock at it's best =) Good dudes too.

Deerhunter @ Apple Store Soho, September 28th, 2010

Oh boy! There was some serious B.O. at this show. Honestly, Deerhunter fans need to take a shower. We couldn't see much (the Apple Store doesn't have a 'raised' stage) and it was pretty packed, but the sound was excellent (Bradford has the same Marshall stack as me!). Overall I think I still like Mikrocastle better, but there are some excellent new songs on Halcyon Digest that were cool to see live (my favorites so far are Helicopter and He Would Have Laughed). Too bad I wasn't close enough to see their effects pedals, I bet they have some good ones...

Pavement @ Central Park Summerstage, September 25th, 2010

Here it is. The long-awaited Pavement re-union tour. The one so anticipated that it went on sale a year in advance. I guess people were a little too confident about their schedules back then, and were outside the venue selling extra tickets like crazy. The original ticket price was $38.50, and you were lucky if you got $10 bucks for one. I got in for free! (thanks dude at the door) Times New Viking opened up and I liked 'em, even though I can't listen to their ultra lo-fi albums. Also, the drummer was showing some Cincinnati love, go Reds! =) So, how was it? Was it worth getting soaked in the lightning storm? I think so! A little fear of death makes any show better. They sounded great, huge guitars, big drums, Malkmus was on point. But there was a little bit of that feeling you get whenever you watch bands from the 90's play their old hits, that this-was-relevant-15-years-ago-why-am-i-still-spending-my-time-to-see-this thing. Still, great songs from an influential band!

Panda Bear @ Governor's Island, September 11th, 2010

I've been waiting to see Panda Bear for a long time, since his last show was such a revelation. This one comes on the cusp of his new album, Tom Boy, which has yet to be released. It was pretty cool to be one of the first few thousand people to hear the new sounds, and almost makes it worth the $25 cover charge (but still, that's no excuse to charge $12 for a Jack on the Rocks -- sorry dude, no tip on that bs). What's the verdict? There are definitely some jams. He seems like he's going for a slower, artsier approach to this album, which is nice, and kind of fits my mood (I don't always enjoy watching people spazz out on stage - ahem, I'm talking about you, opening-band-i-don't-care-what-your-name-is). You can definitely hear a couple of the merriweather post pavilion samples in there, and some of the drum beats are fantastic (that is his specialty). And of course, his voice is in top form. I don't know of anyone else who can do male falsetto in such a sweet, un-obnoxious way. The projector video was decent too, kinda glitchy computer graphics spliced with 80s vhs clips. He did go a little heavy on the dual fog machines. That, combined with the view of the towering 9-11 memorial lights across the water, really reminded you of that terrible, world-changing day. But it's good to remember things like this, how we don't really live in a completely safe and harmless world.

Why? @ Williamsburg Waterfront, July 11th, 2010

Why? was pretty good... I'm not a huge fan (like Alex, who knows the dudes), but it was enjoyable. You'd think that Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu playing Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" album would be rad. But it was not.

Shiv Hurrah @ Arlene's Grocery, May 25th, 2010

My friends have a new band, Shiv Hurrah, led by David Bechle. I think everyone was duly impressed by this, their first show! I hope they stick together, and get real tight and awesome. Check out the video I shot!