Sound-checked, plugged in, and ready to rock (bands you saw)

[mountmccabe]

Last weekend I saw a pair of Joanna Newsom shows. She was in great form and there was a fun question and answer period while she was tuning her harp. The band sounded fantastic; once again the trombone solo to end "Good Intentions Paving Company" was a highlight of the nearly two hour show each night.

We got a fantastic version of "Emily" in Tucson at the lovely Rialto Theatre and the Sunday show at the Orpheum in Phoenix opened with "Bridges and Balloons" and also featured the newly rearranged "Colleen." Between the two shows I also got two of my favorites from the new album that I didn't get at the LA show back in July, "Go Long" and "In California."

She had not been to Arizona for six years so I am thrilled we got two weekend dates and would totes go to both again.

[narlus]

Paradise review/photos (Boston):
http://www.prefixmag.com/photos/guided-by-voices-blitzen-trapper-the-paradise-in-b/

[davy]

Pollard looks awesome.

[Maaik]

EEENNNNNSSSSSSSLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEED

[Maaik]

Blood Red Throne


Enslaved


Grutle can't hear you.

They were really fucking excellent.  They tended to do that awkward bassist-leaning-on-guitarist's-shoulder move a little too much, but they looked like they were having a good time on stage.  They closed with "Isa."  My night pretty much ended there, it was so effing satisfying.  The rest was kind of epilogue.


Dimmu Borgir

I kind of hung back for their set.  Pretty brutal stuff--and the light show made me feel like I was going to convulse, all flashing along with the double kick.  They were really good, but I was kind of done at that point.

[mountmccabe]

My friends saw Joanna Newsom in Dallas last night. I loved the setlists I got but have a gander at this:
bridges and balloons
have one on me
easy
cosmia
soft as chalk
kingfisher
inflammatory writ
colleen
good intentions
emily
peach plum pear

baby birch
does not suffice

And it's like the best of both my setlists... and then some.

[edison]

I got this a few weeks ago in Zurich, and that was pretty excellent, but I must admit to being jealous for both "Emily" and "Does Not Suffice". I'm seeing her again in January, though, so who knows, maybe I won't have reasons to be jealous anymore!

'81
Have One On Me
Easy
Cosmia
Soft As Chalk
In California
Inflammatory Writ
Autumn
Good Intentions Paving Company
Monkey & Bear
Peach, Plum, Pear

Baby Birch

Also I don't have the time and energy to report about it in detail, but whoever crosses the path of the Marc Ribot & Sun Ship European tour should absolutely go (as if you didn't know already).

[Nick Ink]

Monkey & Bear

Officially my favourite Joanna Awesome song.

[ellaguru]

"Monkey and Bear" is a good song, but "Peach Plum Pear" has the distinction of being the only non-terrible harpsichord song ever written in the history of time, which is quite a feat, if you ask me.

[Trousers and Pat]

Also I don't have the time and energy to report about it in detail, but whoever crosses the path of the Marc Ribot & Sun Ship European tour should absolutely go (as if you didn't know already).

Good. That's what I wanted to hear.

[alex]

"Monkey and Bear" is a good song, but "Peach Plum Pear" has the distinction of being the only non-terrible harpsichord song ever written in the history of time, which is quite a feat, if you ask me.

I hope you mean "song" in the narrow sense, not as a generic term for "piece of music". The Well-Tempered Clavier, for instance, is pretty firmly non-terrible.

[ellaguru]

"Monkey and Bear" is a good song, but "Peach Plum Pear" has the distinction of being the only non-terrible harpsichord song ever written in the history of time, which is quite a feat, if you ask me.

I hope you mean "song" in the narrow sense, not as a generic term for "piece of music". The Well-Tempered Clavier, for instance, is pretty firmly non-terrible.

All I know is I have to skip both the harpsichord solos in The Brandenburg Concertos.

[edison]

Also I don't have the time and energy to report about it in detail, but whoever crosses the path of the Marc Ribot & Sun Ship European tour should absolutely go (as if you didn't know already).

Good. That's what I wanted to hear.

I should perhaps add that about 40 or 50% of the audience walked out during the show, for reasons that still remain completely mysterious to me. But whatever, it was excellent, enjoy!

[kyle]

I saw Man or Astroman? Thursday night in DC. I had a good time. They had a homemade tesla coil. They lit their theremin on fire. Good times.

[kyle]

After seeing Joanna Newsom last night I am fully convinced she is the most talented song writer around. It was glorious.

[edison]

A complementary piece of information: The Fall are the best rock'n'roll band around. Gig exceeded my expectations in every way: it's hard to imagine from live recordings, YouTube videos or what have you how incredibly heavy and intense this band sounds (the rhythm section in particular is fucking massive), but it's certainly a very exhilarating racket. They started with a new song that segued into "Theme For Sparta FC", and then proceeded to play more than half of the new record + another new song and "Strychnine". The unbelievable first encore consisted of "Muzorewi's Daughter" (!!) and an extended version of "Blindness" complete with M.E.S. keyboard solo (if you can call it that) and audience member on guest vocals/growls; they surprisingly came back a second time to play "Hot Cake" to bring one of the best shows I've ever seen to a close.

Before The Fall, Bobby Conn and his band (whom I'd heard of, but not heard before) played an entertaining and excellent show in their own right - playing their entire 1998 Rise Up! album, apparently (or rather almost the entire album, since Conn broke his guitar after eight or nine songs). Not being really aware of Conn's style, I expected something like guy + acoustic guitar - but it was actually a full band dressed in matching outfits playing a mixture of 70s glam, hard-rock, disco, punk and R&B. Bought the album and will investigate further.

[davy]

Bobby Conn is still around?! Weird!

[edison]

Seems to be doing a full European tour along with the reissue of that record, actually!

[Good Intentions]

A complementary piece of information: The Fall are the best rock'n'roll band around. Gig exceeded my expectations in every way: it's hard to imagine from live recordings, YouTube videos or what have you how incredibly heavy and intense this band sounds (the rhythm section in particular is fucking massive), but it's certainly a very exhilarating racket. They started with a new song that segued into "Theme For Sparta FC", and then proceeded to play more than half of the new record + another new song and "Strychnine". The unbelievable first encore consisted of "Muzorewi's Daughter" (!!) and an extended version of "Blindness" complete with M.E.S. keyboard solo (if you can call it that) and audience member on guest vocals/growls; they surprisingly came back a second time to play "Hot Cake" to bring one of the best shows I've ever seen to a close.

I'm seeing them the day after my birthday. Fuck yeah.

[edison]

Sweet! Will that be the first time?

Can't wait to see them again now, although since they've played France about five times in 33 years, that's probably going to have to entail some travelling.

[Good Intentions]

Yes, it'll be my first time seeing the Fall, and my first opportunity to do so.

[narlus]

i spent some time updating my site last weekend, and here's a few photos from the last few weeks...click on the photos to get to the gallery, or click on the band name to get to the review

Best of ATP/NY:


Superchunk


Dungen


Teenage Fanclub


Come


1349


Triptykon


Gary Numan


High On Fire


Omar Souleyman

[Andrew_TSKS]

After seeing Joanna Newsom last night I am fully convinced she is the most talented song writer around. It was glorious.

The rough draft of the review I'm writing of that show has exceeded 4000 words. It's one of those "I am not sure I can put this into words, so here are as many of them as I can possibly come up with about the subject" sort of reviews. Hopefully I'm doing some justice to the experience.

[edison]

Yes, it'll be my first time seeing the Fall, and my first opportunity to do so.

I look forward to your report! I thought the new songs they played the other day sounded very metal, and lo and behold, two days after the show, MES comes out and announces that the new album will be a "lot heavier" and that one of the songs sounds like "Greek heavy metal":
http://thequietus.com/articles/05340-fall-to-release-greek-heavy-metal-album

[Good Intentions]

Holy fuck, I am now imagining what would happen on a The Fall/Rotting Christ split ep.