Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
St. Vincent @ Webster Hall - Wed May 20th, 2009
She is a good guitar player (a bit of a poser sometiems), she is cute, but ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzAnimal Collective @ Terminal 5 - Wed May 13th, 2009
This was my eight time seeing Animal Collective, my favorite band of the 00's. It was nice to see them with some new tricks on stage, like the big ball where they reflected psychedelic videos on, and their own desks lightning up randomly all night. It looked simple, and I liked it that way, since their new music is far from that. It was very Animal Collective.
Their set list needs an urgent shake up, because they are becoming kind of predictable. The classic songs they have been playing has been the same for the past four times I've seen them. Time to change and play some from Feels and or Strawberry Jam (except Fireworks, which I love, but I've heard enough). Or they just need to play the entire Merriweather Post Pavillion... I am sure no one is gonna complain... best album of the decade? You know it is, you just don't want to agree because for cool people it would be lame to do so. I don't care.
Animal Collective Links: Stream - Merriweather Post Pavillion Stream Strawberry Jam, Stream Feels, MySpace, Domino Records, YouTube, Pitchfork interviews the Collective.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Camera Obscura @ Mercury Lounge - Wed Mar 25, 2009
I am not a huge Camera Obscura fan, but every time they put out a new record and swing by New York to promote it, I can't help but wanting to be there and see them. They are perfect for having a very cute kind of night. Songs off their new album, My Maudlin Career, sounded great, as all their best songs from their two great previous albums did too.
I am typing this almost a month after I saw them, so I don't remember details that made this night special, but somehow it was because otherwise I wouldn't be saying much here. Maybe it was seeing them at such a small venue. Good band, good vibe, and good new album. Go to see them and love them back.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Grizzly Bear @ BAM - Sat Feb 28, 2009
Speechless. It's been weeks and still can't write about this show. Grizzly Bear set the bar really high for Best show of 2009, and it's only March. Too bad that their new album, Veckatimest, is not hitting me as hard as Yellow House did. Live, selecting its best songs, the story is different cause those songs are quite the killers. It was a pleasure to hear live songs they hadn't been able to play because of how rich they are, but in this case with the help of the Brooklyn Philarmonic Orchestra they did. A full room tells I am not gonna be able to see them live in an intimate setting ever again :-/
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Antony & the Johnsons @ Town Hall - Fri Feb 20, 2009
(Note: I wasn't gonna write anything about this show, given that I saw Antony recently, but it was so moving I couldn't keep it to myself)
Wow. This was even better than Antony's previous show with orchestra at the Apollo Theater. Antony's voice was exceptional, as always, and The Johnsons sounded phenomenal as well. Excellent set list, nice pacing, just perfection all over. Kiss My Name was my favorite one last night... it sounded so alive. I got the shivers, as always, when Antony sang his classics For Today I Am A Boy (which had quite an smart introduction about going back home to San Jose and seeing so many changes in subculture) and You Are My Sister, and I was really happy they played Shake the Devil, one of my favorite songs from last year. After seeing the set list I was also a bit bummed because apparently they were going to come back for a second encore, to play my fave song (Daylight & the Sun) from their fantastic new album The Crying Light, but people didn't clap enough :-/ Next time!
M. Ward @ Apollo Theater - Thu Feb 19, 2008
Rave On
I am finishing my dissertation this year. I am exhausted most of the time, because I gotta work hard to finish on time and don't like the idea of not going out and keep having fun, so that being said, I am really surprised I didn't fall sleep two nights ago when I saw M. Ward playing most of his new album Hold Time plus some of his oldies and covers.
I am a fan of the new album. It doesn't reach of the addictiveness his previous masterpiece Post-War reached with me, but still it has been on constant rotation on my iPod, car and stereo at home, especially when I am working on that dissertation to get done.
M. Ward came out solo with his acoustic guitar to a dark stage with a window view in the back announcing the night has just started. He started with the song that titles his new album, and of course it was beautiful. His band quickly joined him and they played Lullabye + Exile and the crowd favorite Chinese Translation. With that out of the way, he went back to hold some more time for us... firs on the guitar with Epistemology and then on the piano for the wonderful To Save Me. One of my very favorite songs from Post-War was played that night. It's the song that titles that album. Post-War doesn't expose M. Ward's virtuosity on the guitar, but his warm vocals, and with a supporting live band so-delicate-when-it-must-be like the one he has right now, the song made my eyes to water.
The night went on and M. Ward's guitar shined on Fisher of Men even more than the fireflies that started showing up through the window. His vocals sounded great again for his cover of Oh Lonesome Me (no Lucinda Williams) and so did the band for the Never Had Nobody Like You (no Zooey Deschanel).
For being tired I remember a lot, don't I? He played more songs from Post-War, including Poison Cup and my very favorite ones Magic Trick and his cover of Daniel Johnston's To Go Home, the new Rave On, which sounded ridiculously good live with a full band, Vincent O'Brien, another crowd favorite from Transfiguration of Vincent, and a couple of covers that I do not know apparently just because I didn't grow up here.
M. Ward might be the only artist playing countryish music that can keep me awake for seventeen or so songs. It was a good show but not everything was great. I have a couple of complains even though I was to tired to be too bothered about them. No Stars of Leo? Come on! That's the best song on Hold Time! And what's wrong with the speakers at the Apollo Theater? [photos of the show]
I am finishing my dissertation this year. I am exhausted most of the time, because I gotta work hard to finish on time and don't like the idea of not going out and keep having fun, so that being said, I am really surprised I didn't fall sleep two nights ago when I saw M. Ward playing most of his new album Hold Time plus some of his oldies and covers.
I am a fan of the new album. It doesn't reach of the addictiveness his previous masterpiece Post-War reached with me, but still it has been on constant rotation on my iPod, car and stereo at home, especially when I am working on that dissertation to get done.
M. Ward came out solo with his acoustic guitar to a dark stage with a window view in the back announcing the night has just started. He started with the song that titles his new album, and of course it was beautiful. His band quickly joined him and they played Lullabye + Exile and the crowd favorite Chinese Translation. With that out of the way, he went back to hold some more time for us... firs on the guitar with Epistemology and then on the piano for the wonderful To Save Me. One of my very favorite songs from Post-War was played that night. It's the song that titles that album. Post-War doesn't expose M. Ward's virtuosity on the guitar, but his warm vocals, and with a supporting live band so-delicate-when-it-must-be like the one he has right now, the song made my eyes to water.
The night went on and M. Ward's guitar shined on Fisher of Men even more than the fireflies that started showing up through the window. His vocals sounded great again for his cover of Oh Lonesome Me (no Lucinda Williams) and so did the band for the Never Had Nobody Like You (no Zooey Deschanel).
For being tired I remember a lot, don't I? He played more songs from Post-War, including Poison Cup and my very favorite ones Magic Trick and his cover of Daniel Johnston's To Go Home, the new Rave On, which sounded ridiculously good live with a full band, Vincent O'Brien, another crowd favorite from Transfiguration of Vincent, and a couple of covers that I do not know apparently just because I didn't grow up here.
M. Ward might be the only artist playing countryish music that can keep me awake for seventeen or so songs. It was a good show but not everything was great. I have a couple of complains even though I was to tired to be too bothered about them. No Stars of Leo? Come on! That's the best song on Hold Time! And what's wrong with the speakers at the Apollo Theater? [photos of the show]
♫♫♫♫
Were you at the show? How did you like it?
M. Ward Links: Stream Hold Time, Stream Post-War, Official Website, Wikipedia, MySpace, at Merge Records
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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