The Dead Weather//Prospect Park – Brooklyn

On our way back down from The Newport Folk Festival Kylie and I threw The Dead Weather on repeat for the three and a half hour ride down to catch them in Prospect Park that Tuesday evening.  Adding fuel to the fire a new friend of ours e-mailed us with an invite to the VIP area of the show, as if we weren’t excited enough.  If you know this blog then you know we are gaga over Jack White and Allison Mosshart.  Saying that we are huge fans of everything they do is an understatement.  We stormed in to NYC blaring “Hang You From The Heavens” shaking her little Jeep Wrangler violently that the garage attendants look stunned to see two chicks hop out and hand them the keys.  They stared at us, jaws on the ground, setting the tone for the night to come.

Around 8:30 pm Jack White entered stage right making only an entrance that he could make.  Blow torch in hand graciously lighting Ms. Mossharts cigarette for her and then later exclaiming of Mosshart, “She’s so white, star tattoo on her wrist and smoking parliaments all the time.”  They quickly went into their first song “60 Feet Tall” with White absolutely killing it on drums and Mosshart dominating the stage, although she was missing her signature gold Hedi Slimane for Dior Homme boots.  I immediately stood on the gate to get a better view and rock out as hard as possible.  This brings me to a more pressing point and my only complaint about this show.  What the f*ck is up with rock and roll fans, have the all turned soft on us?  The guy in back of me was like, “umm can you get down from there” It’s a rock concert for Christ sakes!  Did he not notice the stuffed animal carcasses on stage, Mosshart smoking p-funks and downing whiskey, Jack with a blow torch?!  Call me an asshole, but I didn’t move, poor guy had to shuffle a few steps to his right.

The show carried on, Jack raged drums and strapped on his six string for the closing song “Will There Be Enough Water” which they extended with an extra long jam session carried out between versus.  (If you haven’t seen It Might Get Loud and you’re a Jack White fan do yourself a favor and get on that) Mosshart and White wailed in to the same microphone and when White was focusing on guitar Mosshart belted and screeched the lyrics falling backwards on the stage playing dead and then thrusting about wildly coming back to life, jumping back into the duet with White on a shared microphone.  Their chemistry was undeniable.

After the crowd begged for an encore they coolly walked back on stage.  Jack saying, “Allison doesn’t think you liked the set.  What do you have to say about that?  Show us that you did.” And of course the crowd obliged.  They played through four more songs, “Forever My Queen,” “Blue Blood Blues,” I Can’t Hear You” and “Treat Me Like Your Mother.”  For me this was one of the best encores and shows I’ve ever seen.  If this is pure blooded rock and roll then I don’t know what is.  I think myself and many others in the crowd were wondering the same thing when is that next Kills album coming out and what band will White be working with next, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather or some other amazing new project?

video courtesy of Kylie

pics courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan

-music from my ears. to yours. with love. jp

My colleague Jess already offered her take on Sleigh Bells, so I’ll cover last night’s headliner Yeasayer.  The last time I saw Yeasayer live was they opened for The National back in August 2008 at Central Park Summerstage.  The band has come a long way since then, filling out their sound and coming out with their decidedly more dance-pop album Odd Blood.  I was very excited to see how their live show had evolved over the last couple of years, and from the moment they took the stage and launched into the slow-burn groove of “The Children” (also Track 1 on the new album), they did not disappoint.

The packed crowd on the floor of Webster Hall was very amped up as they continued the set.  With two solid albums to work with, the night turned into a sing-a-long of hits, both from All Hour Cymbals and Odd Blood.  I was very pleased when they pulled out “2080,” which the song that originally got me into them and still brings me back to the summer of 2008 (while making me think about the impending apocalypse).

The vibe really picked up when the giant disco ball over head started spinning and the band started playing their newest, “danciest” single “O.N.E.”  Frontman Chris Keating prefaced the song with “This is a new one” but you could tell that there were some people in the crowd who were waiting for this song and really went crazy when it started. 

As the band mentioned several times during the show, they were back home in NYC after months on the road.  They took advantage of the hometown crowd love and put on a wholly satisfying show.  

-MW

Sleigh Bells

Last night I dragged my ass down Webster Hall to see Yeasayer after being extremely hungover and working an 11 hour day.  Yes, I love music that much! Yeasayer was fantastic and we will be posting about them later.  But since we always give them so much love I thought I would tell you about a little band with an explosive sound that goes by the name of Sleigh Bells. 

Their name is definitely misleading because these for sure are NOT the kind of sleigh bells that Dancer and Prancer have on their harnesses.  These are the kind of sleigh bells that fire breathing dragons carrying the Prince of Darkness to rain chaos down on Earth would be wearing.

Think Amanda Blank mixed with Allison Mosshart. Add a heavy electro bass and screaming guitar reminiscent of Ratatat’s earlier albums and there you will find Sleigh Bells.  The best part about this duo is Alexis wild stage presence and Derek’s unwavering confidence.  She stomps around on stage belting out high pitched screams leading in to singable melodies then jumps up on the speakers leaning fully in to the crowd while he shreds confidently in the background hitting the mark every time, building Alexis sound with every chord. Their Freshmen album, Treats is out May, 11th and I can’t wait for some of that delicious ear candy.

-music from my ears. to yours. with love. jp

http://www.myspace.com/sleighbellsmusic

pictures courtesy of http://sheenabeaston.com

Das Racist took the stage last night to a sparsely-filled Mercury Lounge. But those who were there to take in their set were amped up and didn’t quite know what to expect. Himanshu Suri, the enigmatic de facto leader of the group, spent the first song of the set going down the line at the front of the stage picking up people’s drinks and aggressively taking sips. He seemed disappointed that at least half of the first-rowers were drinking water.  

Energy remained high as the guys ran through songs from their new mixtape, Shut Up, Dude.  I would say that the biggest audience reaction came at the start of “You Oughta Know,”  They finished their too-short set without playing “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.”  I know some people in the audience must have been disappointed, but I’m not really sure how that song could work live anyway, so it didn’t bother me.

Seeing Das Racist live made me realize that they are as much a comedy group as they are a hip-hop group.  That’s not to put down their musical skills, which were exceptional throughout the show. I’m not the first to compare them to the Beastie Boys. They’ve done it themselves, multiple times. But they really do seem like the Beastie Boys of the “two thousand teens,” dropping sick rhymes and being hilarious at the same time. They fall somewhere in between Aziz Ansari’s Raaaaaaaandy and old-school Outkast and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do next.

All I’ll say about headliner Penguin Prison is that I’m not sure why Das Racist opened for them.

-MW

Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune //

I finally got a chance over the weekend to listen to the recent posthumous release from Jimi Hendrix.  In an article last month in The New York Times, Anthony DeCurtis set it up as the next logical step after Electric Ladyland. The album has some alternate versions of Hendrix classics like “Stone Free” and “Hear My Train A Comin.’”  But there are also never before heard gems, like the title track (which you can listen to above) and the devastatingly beautiful (almost) instrumental final track “Crying Blue Rain.”

There are a lot of bloated Hendrix collections out there, with rare outtakes and demos.  Valleys of Neptune is not another greatest hits collection.  It’s a full blown album that just might make you rediscover Hendrix and imagine what might have been had he lived beyond the age of 27.

-MW

REVIEW: The Morning Benders - Big Echo

If you have been following our posts about The Morning Benders then you know how much we loved the video for “Excuses” the first single of their new album, Big Echo. The sound they were able to generate with all of their San Fran musician friends was phenomenal and mixed with those lyrics and harmonies, tre magnifique!

Therefore, it will come as no big surprise that I give this album a great review.  While it is full of mellow sunnyish California indie rock-pop songs there is nothing totally shocking about it, but that in no way takes away from the fact that it’s an album to be excited about.

For this album they have tried some new things, moving in another direction from the twangy indie sound found on their first album, Talking Through Tin Cans. This creative change may be due to that fact that Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear fame was tapped to produce their sophomore effort.

I find that many of the tracks have that great balance of upbeat yet mellow with sleepy guitars, soft drums and an unmatched depth of lyrics along with catchy rolling choruses.  One of my favorite tracks, “Pleasure Sighs” is a perfect example.  It’s able to guide you into a peaceful tranquil state while still leaving you wanting more as opposed to wanting your pillow.  This is an album that you can play from start to finish on a laid-back Sunday afternoon making brunch, drinking mimosas and discussing the debauchery of nights past with some of your closest friends.

Over all this is a strongly instrumental album with some exceptions like the track, “Cold War (Nice Clean Fight)” Which proves to have that really poppy catchy sound. I dare you not to sing along.  It’s also an album that grows on you, at least that’s how it was for me.  Although I liked it at first listen, I’m now falling hard.  It may be an affair to remember.  I’m a positive thinker and I always believe there is room for improvement.  Though I’m a fan of this album, I think The Morning Benders will continue to grow creatively and will turn out an even better album next time.  Lyrically, I’m beyond impressed.  A+ on that front.

This could be a big year for them especially after signing with Rough Trade and being in the BNM category on Pitchfork for their song “Excuses” as well as number one on Hype Machine.  If you like this Vagabonds taste in music then you should go out and grab this CD.  It drops today March 9th so don’t hesitate or your ears may go on strike.

Buy it here

http://www.themorningbenders.com

-music from my ears. to yours. with love. jp