Okay, I was saving my posting powers up to today (ps. have a tumblr now), as this record has been making my nights so much sweeter. I never fully realized the maximum chillness of my new pad until I threw this record on while cooking a chill dinner for myself and my chill roommate (chillmate) while reading the chill york times. It was wondrous.
Cloud Nothings, like his contemporaries in the lo-fi pop scene today, makes tunes that are strewn amidst hazy vocal lines and crispy static. But what sets this record apart is the duality of simplicity and an underlying complexity that make Dylan Baldi’s bedroom tunes more than fuzz and loud guitars. Overdriven guitars belie layers upon layers of indie goodness, and drum fills upon drum fills boost the good times. Oh, and it’s fun. Lots and lots of fun. It’s a record that’s so down home and brazenly earnest that it makes even happy-go-lucky rockers Japandroids look like your older brother after he developed that heroin problem. Or something like that.
Well what do we have here? Today we’ve got Maps & Atlases’ debut full-length, Perch Patchwork. If you’re familiar with their previous stuff at all, you know what to expect here, only way more cohesive and solid. If you aren’t familiar with their first two [phenomenal] EPs, then you’re in for a treat. Maps and Atlases are an experimental~indie~pop~math-rock band, one that’s constantly evolving. They’ve got a light, fun, poppy vibe, but that doesn’t mean they’re simplistic – actually, far from it. Just one listen to the spazzy, tap-happy guitar riffs and you know you’re dealing with far more than a mere indie-pop band. In fact, Perch Patchwork manages to hit on the vibe so few math-rock bands can hit – they can tastefully and effortlessly pull off technical music that retains its character and emotion (not unlike fellow indie math-rockers This Town Needs Guns), something that is to be lauded as a feat of not only musical talent, but also for its ability to connect the heart and the synapse. Or the brain (anyone?). Vocal melodies soar, guitars and basses noodle into fancy nooks and crannies, and drums beat in ways that’ll make your head spin. It’s tech-pop at it’s finest!
Oh, and a bit of unclassified stuff and miscellaneous hoo-ha.
First, if you’re visiting from Jeff’s blog, The Noise Is…, welcome! Thanks for checking out my blog, if you like what I’m posting, please, ‘Like’ my page on facebook! Just click the ‘facebook’ image over to the right. Don’t forget to tell your friends! Leave some feedback too! Thanks!
Second, I’m going to be gone for about two weeks starting tomorrow, so this hiatus is semi-brief (but planned!), and in the meantime I’ll whip up some ideas for posts so I won’t leave this blog hanging. In the meantime, enjoy the back-catalogue of posts and have some good summertime memories!
By the will of the gods, I do solemnly swear to not shirk my duties to the blogging public for any reasons, world-of-warcraft-esque or otherwise, for as long as we both shall live.
(The aforementioned parties are independent entities and are not legally bound, litigation is pending, and is in no way official. But seriously, I need to blog more.)
I apologize to everyone I’ve ever maimed, this post goes to you. Titus Andronicus is a five-piece from New Jersey (something of value from Jersey, at last) who specialize in infectiously singable punk-twinged indie rock. The Monitor is wonderfully upbeat and gloriously energetic, successfully wrangling the vocal stylings of bands like Against Me! and pitting them against modern indie/garage/noise outfits in a way that makes it seem like it was meant to be (oh, and the lyrics are far removed from the majority of other punk acts, these guys are waaaaay more intelligent than they’d appear to be). The songs are fast, sometimes slow, but always, and I mean always, infused with gobs and gobs of passion. And more often than not, they’re capped or interspersed with quotes from famous speeches (the album opens with a bit from Abe Lincoln), which add to the ambiance of this fine album. Add that to the already massively enjoyable music and we’ve got a winner on our hands. I’d venture to say it’s the catchiest and most enjoyable singalong record of the year. It’s fun, a lot like summer. It’s actually really, really, really fun. Like a more punk Japandroids or something, but with more paranoia and speeches. Kick ass!
Worth it. All I gotta say. Earlier in the week, my buddy Kevdo told me about a free Minus the Bear show in Santa Monica. Never one to turn down a free show (did I mention free?), I got stoked on it. Then it got better. Almost as an afterthought, he mentioned that he had picked up our tickets and oh, I almost forgot, Circa is playing too. In case you wanted to know. My jaw dropped. Not only was it free, but it was two of my all-time favorite bands who also happened to put out, far and away, two of 2010’s bestalbums. And so it began. We ended up getting there early (apparently, As Tall as Lions was playing at 2:15 and Kevin’s brother Douglas (a fantastic human being), wanted to see them. It just kept getting better.
Anyway, As Tall as Lions played admirably, but if you know their material, it doesn’t exactly translate well into beachside party fare without a lot of help. They tried, and Cliff was a madman on the drums. In between sets he was breaking sticks going into John Bonham–esque drum solos accompanied by some bass jams courtesy of Julio…it was fun, but otherwise they sorta fell flat. Nothing against them, they played great, and their material is awesome, but the vibe didn’t match up. Probably be a better fit on a cold winter night in Central Park rather than the beach. In any case, here’s some decent quality videos from the event!
The Narrows
Go Easy
And I’m not entirely familiar with ATAL’s discog to properly list a setlist. Ha, sorry. But there are videos on the Tube o’ You, so look that up if you want.
Then it was time to enjoy the booths and whatnot..and at about 5:30, Minus the Bear came on. Problem was, we got stuck outside because the venue was at capacity (free show, who’da guessed it?). We managed to wrangle a spot in the sand where we could relax and see most of the band…but having just seen MtB at the Fox Theatre, I was sorta unimpressed. They played a great mix of songs (though Kevin’s roommate Connor might have thought otherwise), only thing is Jake was a little flat. Sad since I’d seen him kill it just three weeks ago. But it was fun nonetheless, and they played great for the most part, and their setlist spanned everything from Highly Refined Pirates to Omni (of course).
Rough setlist (out of order):
Knights
Pachuca Sunrise
My Time
Throwin’ Shapes
Summer Angel
Hold Me Down
Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse
Sounds about right for a ~30min. Set. No videos, sorry. Check the previous post for some more Polyphyly MtB lovin’.
Anyway, Circa Survive came on last and totally kileld it. Anthony was perfectly on point as per the usual, and the rest of the band always kicks ass. What impressed me was that they went into so many jam sessions (maybe I just haven’t seen Circa in a long time), but they turned Stop the Fuckin’ Car into this beefy, jazzy number before spilling into the chorus as planned. Plus the end was drawn out and Anthony-ified, if you know what I mean. I was stuck outside the gate (super sad-face), but I was still enthralled by this band. Ever-amazing.
Setlist:
Get Out
Glass Arrows (PERFECT TRANSITION)
Stop the Fuckin’ Car
Through the Desert Alone
Always Getting What You Want (WHAT? Yeah, it was that good).
Living Together
In the Morning and Amazing
and they finished with In Fear and Faith.
Needless to say, as a diehard Circa Survive fan, this was a fan-fuckin-tastic setlist (pardon my French, I rarely swear on this blog, but Circa Survive put on an amazing show). They’re consistently amazing, and yall should recognize!
Here’s a video from about where I was standing at this event:
[actual song starts at about 5:03, ha]
Yeah, outside. But still totally stoked. It was marvelous.
Another! Always Getting What You Want, a super deep cut. It was great to see live.
I think I might just do a write-up on Juturna tomorrow just because it’s far and away my favorite record ever penned.
Well, I had planned an awesome post detailing the Minus the Bear show at the Glasshouse in Pomona last night….but I missed their tweets and posts and drove all the way out (3+ hours) to find that they postponed it. Sad day – and I understand that they had family issues, I’m not one of the ‘heartless fans’ – but I’m kicking myself for not making sure it was still on. Would have been great, right? Anyway. I’ve decided against posting OMNI or Planet of Ice (which are fantastic, btw) in favor of putting up their EPs and a B-Side. Into the Mirror is a single and B-Side (‘Broken China’) and the Acoustics EP is a couple Planet of Ice/Menos El Oso tracks redone, both fantastic. If you dig Into the Mirror, you should grab OMNI, which is sultry, sexy, and crazy groovy. I loved how it was both great for summer or winter it could be…or anything, really. The acoustics, on the other hand, show how versatile each of their songs can be, and they’re good to just switch it up sometimes. In any case, enjoy.
Self-released/Bridgetown Records, 2010
POLYPHYLY 