CMJ

From Wednesday to Sunday, I'll be at the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC with WDUB. I'll have pictures and a review up when I get back, but I'm also doing a live Twitter blog from the festival which you can check out here. Be sure to check it out!

Jeff Mangum Plays "Engine"!!!

Tonight, I went to see the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise tour in Columbus and got to see one of the greatest things I've ever gotten to see. Jeff Mangum, the leader of Neutral Milk Hotel, came out and played the NMH song "Engine" with band mate Julian Koster. Not only was he playing, he was playing in the middle of the crowd, five feet from me. I took a video which is being shared on WDUB TV, but can be viewed below.
UPDATE: There is an MP3 link below.

Jeff Mangum - "Engine" (MP3)

Concert Review: Mirah

Last night was one of the shortest, yet most pleasant concert-going experiences I've ever had when I saw Mirah with No Kids at Skully's in Columbus. The doors opened early, at 6:30, and by 7, No Kids were on and playing. They were an okay band that grew on me the longer they played, but they had no energy and their songs got a bit repetitive as they went on. Finally, at around 8, came Mirah. When she came out to get set up, she just grabbed the mic, not bothering to even have the mystery of coming on stage to start. Though she was playing without the use of her pinkie, which she'd cut a few days prior, Mirah very sweetly worked her way through several new and recent songs. Just her on stage with the guitar, and less than 100 people in the audience, it felt like she was playing for a group of friends and was easily the most intimate show I've ever been to. In between songs, her banter was cheerful and warm, and she communicated with the crowd like we were a single friend standing before her. The show was no longer than an hour, and was done by 9, but the songs warmed me up so much inside, I didn't care.
Grade: A

My Bloody Valentine Aragon Ballroom 9/27/2008

I'd like to write a few words about one of my most recent, and unique musical experiences. On September 27th , I took the Mega bus from St. Louis to Chicago to witness My Bloody Valentine live. If you don't know who they are, I don't think any description of their music really does it justice; so my best advice for you is to just go pick-up some of their music and give it a listen. For those who have heard them, you probably don't know what their shows are like live. This has something to do with the fact that their current tour is the first in the U.S. in 16 years. So I guess without say too much else here are my thoughts.

I had heard that My Bloody Valentine puts on a loud show (some contest it's the loudest, some fans spotting 132 dBs on the board). And I had heard they were handing out earplugs to everyone. But finally getting to venue, and seeing the sheer number of speakers and equipment on stage, I knew I was in for a loud night. My father and I got there about a half-hour early, which let us snag spots right in front of the soundboard.

After waiting through the opener (I can't find the name), who were good but not why I was there, My Bloody Valentine finally took the stage. Kevin Shields, Belinda Butcher, Debbie Googe and Colm O’Ciosoig are by no stretch of the imagination rock stars. This was obvious when at the start of I Only Said, the opener, bright white lights started to strobe around the stage, almost blinding you from seeing the band. Throughout the night Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher would step up to the mic and step back without much apparent emotion or enthusiasm. Debbie Googe and Colm O’Ciosoig on the other hand were moving and playing as you might expect from the music that was being played.

Actually in general, I didn't know what to expect. I knew what shoegazing was, but only in words. It turned out to be something more and less then what I expected. During the show, it was as if the whole crowd was transfixed on something else. No one was rowdy, and the only movements I really saw was a head nod here or a sway there. Everyone was even standing in rows. It was one of the calmest shows I've ever been too. It was something completely different.

The music itself was amazing. The music overwhelmed the vocals even more then they do on the album; but everything sounded great. On Nothing Much To Lose, Colm O’Ciosoig drum rolled his heart out; delaying the hook of the song. On When You Sleep (personal favorite song right now) we saw a green path leading to nowhere in particular. Much like the music itself, the graphics that backed every song were distorted just enough that you couldn't fully tell what was happening. Every song sounded familiar but different.

And then it happened. The moment I had heard and read about. Belinda and Kevin said their thanks and good-byes, and launched into You Made Me Realise. A song that on their groundbreaking Creation single is under four-minutes, here was a sprawling song, whose length I did not measure. While the song starts off as a regular song, it quickly turns into a single chord repeated over and over again. The distortion builds and builds until the whole room is one noise. At this point the lights are going full tilt as well. Strobe lights that blind you, and surely put at least one person into an epileptic fit were everywhere. I fell into a trance like state at one point, and was only brought out of it when I took my earplugs out to feel the whole of the experience. Suddenly all of my senses came back in an instant. I was awake, aware, and my whole body felt like I was in some kind of storm. I can't do the experience justice, so I won't try too much.

After they finally finished You Made Me Realise, the crowd was stunned. White lights from the stage flooded the room, preventing you from seeing the stage. No one seemed to know what to do, and most people took a few minutes before they finally turned to talk to those around them. While we knew it wouldn't happen, we all hoped that they would come back on for just one more song.

After fighting the crowd out of the theater, it was a shock to not be constantly bombarded with noise. A slight ringing was in my ear, but it doesn't seem like it will be a problem. An experience unlike any other, I recommend that if you ever have a chance see them live. With the current tour, and rumors of a third LP, this might be easier then ever before.

Grade: A+

Set list:
I Only Said
When You Sleep
You Never Should
When You Wake
Cigarette in Your Bed
Come in Alone
Only Shallow
Thorn
Nothing Much to Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Soon
Feed Me With Your Kiss
You Made Me Realise

Concert Review: Death Cab for Cutie

I've waited a couple of days to give this review of Wednesday night's Death Cab for Cutie show at Lifestyles Community Pavilion in Columbus because I needed some time to let it settle in. Death Cab is a band that I first had back in 2002 on their album "The Photo Album," and since then, their music has had tremendous personal meaning to me. "Transatlanticism" basically got me through high school and "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes" has been in regular rotation since starting college. All that being said, I think I came into Wednesday night's show with high expectations.

Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed in my concert going experience. I'm just a few short months away from turning 22, but I felt particularly old and more concert savvy than everyone else at the show. I commented to my roommate whom I was with that I'd never been to a show where the audience didn't care that they were there. Throughout the entire show, people were talking loudly, ignoring every song that was on an album before "Plans" (with the exception of "Sound of Settling"). Cellphones have replaced lighters and you could tell when the crowd didn't like a song because they all pulled out their cameras with their bright LCD screens illuminating the night. As someone who attaches great personal meaning to music, I can't fault someone for finding "Plans" and "Narrow Stairs" their personal favorite albums, but it truly baffled me to see so many people who shelled out around $50 to see the show just ignore it whenever an old song came up. Usually, I go to a show because I like a band overall, not for an album or two.

As for the music itself, the band has been better. They aren't a dynamic live act like My Morning Jacket, but they usually deliver a solid and entertaining show. On Wednesday, they seemed to be holding back just a little bit. To me, the best moment of all of "Plans" is Chris Walla's solo on "Crooked Teeth" where the band seems just to just let go and fall into the echos of his solo. While the echo was there at the show, the grandiose swoop of it all wasn't. Similarly, the crash into the instrumentals of "We Looked Like Giants" wasn't really there, instead muted to sound plain and generic. They saved a lot of the epic rocking for new songs, including "Long Division" and "I Will Possess Your Heart."

The setlist of the show was pretty solid, covering a great deal of the band's catologue. IT was great to hear "We Have the Facts" tracks like "Employment Pages" and "Company Calls," and surprising to hear "Something About Airplanes'" "Champagne From a Paper Cup." They seemed to stay away from tracks from "Narrow Stairs," but the ones they played were done quite well.

This was not the best show I've been to, nor was it even close to the best Death Cab show I've been to (see: Bonnaroo 2006). I still can't decide if the crowd put me off so much I didn't enjoy the music or if it just truly wasn't that great. Regardless, it was overall all a fairly forgettable show.

Grade: C

Concert Review: My Morning Jacket

Already one of my favorite live acts, I knew that My Morning Jacket would deliver on a great show. There was no opening act and doors opened at 7, so I had a feeling that this show was going to be epic, and indeed it was. From opener "Evil Urges" to closer "One Big Holiday," Jim James and crew relentlessly pounded on their instruments and bounced around the stage with seemingly endless energy. It has always impressed me about them that no matter if they're playing a midnight show at Bonnaroo or playing a medium size city in the middle of a long tour, they play like their life depends on it. James is perhaps the most fun musician to watch on stage as he thrashes around on his guitar, hides behind a cape as he sings, and most impressive, slides across the stage. The show showcased My Morning Jackets cohesiveness as a group. They seamlessly integrate extended jams and solos into their already epic songs, making improvisation look planned. The material from "Evil Urges" surprisingly fits in nicely with some of their older material, even though it doesn't necessarily sound similar at all. The highlights were predictable, as they always are at an MMJ show, but were still incredible. They included a romp through "Off the Record" and the dueling guitars of "Lay Low," but undoubtedly the best moment of the night was the last, "One Big Holiday." This might be a little biased because it's one of my all-time favorite songs, but I think the band closes with this song because it blows everything else out of the water. Even after almost six years of playing that song night after night, the band still rocks out the hardest of it and doesn't hold back a single bit. All and all, I'd say that this show will easily make my list of top 5 shows of the year. A solid effort from the boys from Louisville.
Grade: A+

Introducing WDUB TV

Since the start of the year, I've been working on a project for WDUB called WDUB TV. WDUB TV is an online channel of content produced by WDUB to compliment our on air programming. Our first episode went live just a few minutes ago and can be found below. You can also visit the channel's site on YouTube for more. In Part 2 of the first episode, I review Jenny Lewis' new album, "Acid Tongue."

Part 1

Part 2