Atoms for Peace, 4/10/10

I didn't realize Atoms for Peace was playing in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom until a couple weeks after tickets went on sale. I checked for tickets, fully expecting the show to be sold out. Luckily for me, they weren't sold out, because Atoms put on one hell of a show last Saturday night.

Atoms for Peace, led by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and featuring Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, played Yorke's solo effort, The Eraser, in entirety before taking a short encore break. Yorke returned to the stage alone and played three songs solo, including "Everything in its Right Place" and an unreleased Radiohead song, "I Froze Up." I was a little disappointed to hear that, on Sunday, he played "Airbag" and "Like Spinning Plates" -- I really would have liked to hear those tunes as well, but I can't complain.

After the three solo songs, which were all fairly subdued, the remaining band members returned to the stage. And they started rocking. It was nice to hear songs off The Eraser, which I knew, but these unfamiliar songs to close the show were fantastic. They were high energy, and featured Flea and Yorke dancing like madmen.

I had anticipated it being a good show. I mean seeing Thom Yorke and Flea together would have to be a real treat right? Well it was -- but those two weren't the only reason. The rest of Atoms for Peace consists of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich (who played keyboards and guitar) and percussionists Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco. The rest of the band didn't take a backseat; they enhanced the performance quite a bit. Refosco played a couple interesting instruments, including something that looked like a giant fishing pole (Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune confirmed it was a Brazilian bow) during "The Clock" and something that looked like an inverted metal Christmas tree. I have no idea what that thing was.

And, of course, similar to Radiohead shows, the light show was amazing. (JMOC took some videos of the show -- see below for examples.) I was kind of worried about this concert taking place at the Aragon. Most shows I've seen there have not been great. Whether it's a sound issue, or having to wait an hour to get inside the building, I haven't had the best experiences at the Aragon. But last Saturday, the sound was pretty good, and entering the building was a breeze.

Overall, a great show. No complaints from this Claptrapper.

Setlist:

1. The Eraser
2. Analyse
3. The Clock
4. Black Swan
5. Skip Divided
6. Atoms for Peace
7. And it Rained All Night
8. Harrowdown Hill
9. Cymbal Rush

Encore
10. A Walk Down the Staircase (Yorke solo)
11. I Froze Up (Yorke solo)
12. Everything in its Right Place (Yorke solo)
13. Paperbag Writer
14. Judge. Jury. Executioner.
15. Hollow Earth
16. Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses

Fanfarlo - Lincoln Hall

I checkout out Fanfarlo at Lincoln Hall on Wednesday. Pretty solid indie band from London. They remind me of Belle and Sebastian mixed in with some Anathallo. I was quite surprised at how many people came to the show, it was almost sold out on a Wednesday. They played everything off their debut album Reservoir and sounded very tight. They have great harmony and you feel like they've been playing with each other for 10 years. I definitely suggest to check them out next time they're in town. I brought my camcorder to catch some video.

Below is their song "Harold T. Wilkins," I neglected to record in 1080p so it's not in HD. The video quality kind of stinks and not as good as some of our other videos. I would still check it out.

Lollapalooza lineup game

Lollapalooza today unveiled a "Give Me an 'O'" lineup announcement for 2010. All bands are listed, but only the letter "O" shows up in each group's name. The Chicago Tribune, among other sources, has reported the festival's headliners will include Lady Gaga, Green Day, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Soundgarden, and Phoenix. This lineup "announcement" seems to support those reports.

Other rumors include Hot Chip, The xx, Spoon, and Devo. What other bands can you guess from the "Give Me an 'O'" game? View the lineup here.

Joe Pug, "Messenger"

Joe Pug first caught my ear during our Lollapalooza previews from last year. I loved his debut EP, Nation of Heat, with its simplicity and powerful lyrics. But then after Pug's live performance at Lolla ended up being different than I expected for me, he kind of slipped out of my mind. He was backed by a full band and the set was more country than folk.

But with Pug's release of his first full-length album, Messenger, he has returned to my listening rotation. He does have some songs with a full band -- it works well in "The Door Was Always Open," complete with banjo and backing vocals -- but he also sticks with what worked on Nation of Heat: solo folk songs with great lyrics. The two that have caught my attention right away are "How Good You Are" and "Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)." Really digging these tunes. He also included an electric version of "Speak Plainly, Diana," a song from his EP, but I can't decide which version I like better.

I have to be in the right mood to listen to Joe Pug, but when I'm in that mood his music really works for me.

Messenger - Joe Pug

Coolest Music Video Ever?

Ok Go released a video this week that pretty much blows away any music video I have ever seen in my life.  They hired some engineers from Syyn Labs to create a Rube Goldberg machine that perfectly syncs with their newest single, "This Too Shall Pass".  Too bad MTV will probably give the best video of the year award to come crap rap video that utilizes a fish eye lens. 

Bonnaroo Lineup Announcement

So continuing to highlight the summer festival lineup announcements, we now turn to Bonnaroo. The line up is being announced in a less conventional and cheezily animated way, with artists announcing themselves every few minutes from the 'roo myspace page. So far we have...

The Disco Biscuits

Jay-Z

MM & W

The Avett Brothers

Dave Matthews Band
The Black Keys
The National
Blitzen Trapper
Manchester Orchestra
Lotus
The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and the White Dwarves perfom "Dark Side of the Moon"
Phoenix
Weezer

and others with more to come...

Beach House, "Teen Dream"

I stumbled upon the new Beach House album, Teen Dream, a couple weeks ago when it was released ... and I haven't really stopped listening to it since. The record features a spacey pop sound with hauntingly good vocals. The Baltimore duo makes simple songs -- using keys and guitar -- that are layered to sound larger than what you would expect. It all makes for a very satisfying listen.

This album reminds me a lot of the debut album from fellow Sub Pop group Fleet Foxes, except more futuristic-sounding (and with a female singer). It has that same "magical" feel to it.

So if you haven't checked this album out yet, give it a listen. Really digging it.

Teen Dream - Beach House

Claptrapped Exclusive: Phish to Play Wrigley Field July 30th

Several news outlets have been reporting that the Cubs are in talks with Phish and others to play Wrigley Field this summer.  Claptrapped has an inside source who confirmed this information and went even further to suggest that it was a done deal, pending legalities, and that the Phab Phour would be playing the Friendly Confines on July 30th. Mark your calendars now! The source stated that, "All events scheduled at Wrigley that weekend are being canceled or rescheduled in order to accommodate the summer concert."

Dave Matthews Band will also be featured in Wrigley's concert bill this summer. Past concerts at the ballpark included Jimmy Buffett (2005), The Police (2007), Elton John and Billy Joel (2009), and Rascal Flatts (2009).  It should be interesting to see if the neighborhood surrounding Wrigley gets up in arms about allowing Phish's wookie circus in town.

Coachella Lineup Announced

Coachella, the first of the summer festival line up announcements has been made. It looks like a decent line up in my opinion, a little light on the headliners, and I'm not exactly sure how to take the Thom Yorke????. Friday and Sunday seem the best, with a light lineup on Saturday. The earlier announcements tend to help in the prediction of later festival lineups, defining what can be called the "festival circuit." Lolla predictions, thoughts Claptrappers?

Soundgarden To Reunite

For me, growing up in the grunge era, there was no greater band than Soundgarden. I pretty much went apeshit over everything they did, and had pretty much all of their albums (Save for Louder Than Love, which carried the dreaded parental advisory sticker on its cover... Mom was strict about that...). I had the "Black Hole Sun" T-shirt and went fucking bananas every time I was lucky enough to catch the movie Singles on cable. If you remember that movie, you can probably remember Chris Cornell abruptly walking into a scene where Matt Dillon's character installs a shitty car stereo on Bridget Fonda's character's car and bobs along with the tunes emanating from the car until the windows of the car shatter. Or maybe you remember that great scene where the entire band makes a cameo in that little dingy bar and rocks the shit out of "Birth Ritual", their official contribution to the soundtrack... Good times...

Alas, I would never get to see Soundgarden as they called it quits right about the time I was graduating high school, plus the region where I grew up didn't really offer up the copious amounts of show opportunities a lot of people here take for granted. However, it is my hope in the near future I get to write and/or speak the following phrase:

"I just got tickets to Soundgarden."

Apparently set to leave the Timbalands of the world, to the Timbalakes of the world, and announcing the news on his Twitter account, Chris Cornell proclaims: “The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!” Up until New Year's Day, 2010, when the big announcement was made, it always seemed like a reunion would be out of reach as it appeared the band was happy with the legacy that had been carved out for them. Last summer the Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd hopped on stage with Tom Morello and Tad Doyle of Tad during his solo tour, and this appeared to be the spark that set the flame (Video below). There has been little word of when the reunion will take place, but you can bet your sweet ass this Claptrapper will be in attendance.