A three-concert week

I know this is kind of late, but a couple weeks ago I packed in three separate concerts into one week. It was tiring, and my ears were ringing pretty consistently after it was all over, but it was ultimately a very rewarding decision.

First up was Band of Horses at the Riviera. As could be assumed from my previous post, due to the band's new album, I wasn't super excited for this show. I got there in the middle of the second song, and the Riv was pretty packed. They sprinkled in new songs throughout the set, while a PowerPoint presentation flashed random images on the wall behind the band. At one point, they went strictly with songs from their first two albums, and I was having a good time singing along. They wrapped up with "Is There A Ghost" and "Funeral" before taking an encore break. They came out and played the first track from their first album -- aptly named "The First Song." I figured this would be the end. And it should've been. (So clever playing "The First Song" last.) However, they ended with "Georgia," a Cee-Lo cover that I felt really let the air out of the building. Weak ending to a below-average show.

A few days later I went to see Deerhunter at Metro. This show was outstanding. They played mostly tunes from their newest album, Halcyon Digest, but they also tossed in some songs from Microcastle -- the highlight being "Nothing Ever Happened," which they turned into probably a 10-minute (at least) jam. The band was tight and they sounded better than most acts at Metro. I'd definitely go see Deerhunter again, given the opportunity.

Rounding out the long week of music was the heavyweight billing of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem at the Aragon Ballroom. Hot Chip started promptly at 8, and they killed it. We were up close, and the sound was great for the Aragon. They played a decent mix of songs from their three most recent albums, comprising a set that was longer than your average opening act. It was a perfect lead-in to LCD. I saw LCD twice this summer, and they played the exact same set both times -- noticeably omitting two of my favorite songs off their newest album This Is Happening -- "Dance Yrself Clean" and "Home."

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long to find out if they'd leave these stand-outs off the setlist once again. The "Dance Yrself Clean" opener was one of the best live songs I've seen. Ever. Amazing buildup, with an explosion of energy when the drums kicked in. They played a number of favorites they also played this summer ("All My Friends," "Losing My Edge," "Yeah," etc.) before closing with one of my favorite songs of the year -- "Home." By the time LCD was wrapping up the set, I was pretty exhausted and sweaty. But it was all worth it.

It was a great week of music.

BOH's Infinite Arms: I've tried, but no

As I mentioned in the previous post, there have been a ton of great releases in 2010 -- many of which I was highly anticipating and then they came through big time. However, one release I was looking forward to that did not live up to my expectations is Band of Horses' Infinite Arms.

I've tried to like this album. Really, I have. But compared to their first two albums, it just doesn't match up. Infinite Arms is toned down a little. Not to say BOH's other albums are full-out rockers, but this new one is pretty tame. I like a couple of the tracks -- namely "NW Apartment" and "Older." But a majority of the album is a skip session for me. (Opener "Factory" is one song on this album I cannot stand.)

One difference on this album -- although not necessarily a detractor for me -- is that it features two songs, "Older" and "Evening Kitchen," that are sung by band members other than lead singer Ben Bridwell. The band took more of a "full band" approach on this record, which I appreciate, but maybe they're better off letting Bridwell take the reins by himself.

But then again, maybe not. As I said before, one of my favorite tracks is "Older," which was written and sung by guitar player Ryan Monroe. An article on BOH in Paste Magazine featured a quote from Bridwell that I liked a lot:

“I’ve been telling our management, or anyone involved—even Phil [Ek] before we started the record—that [Ryan’s song] ‘Older’ [was going to be on the record]. … There’s even people going, ‘I think it has a chance to be a single if you sing lead on it.’ And it’s like, ‘Fuck you, Ryan’s singing the song.’"

This quote gives me hope for the future of BOH. I don't think they're going to become the next Kings of Leon. I'm hoping they had kind of a dud album with Infinite Arms and will rebound with their next effort. I'm going to see them tomorrow night at the Riviera, so I'm hoping either they stay away from some of the new material (at least don't play "Factory" please!), or they play the new material so well that it makes me appreciate it more. We'll see.

Deerhunter -- Halcyon Digest

After a somewhat lengthy hiatus, this Claptrapper is back on the beat. I feel a little guilty for not writing during this period off, as there have been so many great album releases. 2010 has been an incredible year for music makers -- especially within the past five months or so. New albums from The National, LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, and The Walkmen will all most certainly be battling for my top 5 albums of the year. But I wasn't all that surprised that I would like those albums -- after all, those are some of my favorite bands around right now.

However, one album I recently came across that has surprised me a great deal is Deerhunter's new album -- Halcyon Digest. I'm not all that familiar with Deerhunter, but I have listened to their previous effort -- Microcastle -- and definitely enjoyed it. But nothing like this new album.

A halcyon is a bird that in ancient legend would nest around the winter solstice to calm the waves of the sea. This is a fitting image for this album, as a lot of the songs' lyrics deal with darkness and sleep, and the album as a whole has a very dark, foggy feel to it. The lyrics also are heavily influenced with themes of aging, and looking at and analyzing life in general. In the outstanding closing song, "He Would Have Laughed," Bradford Cox sings, "I get bored as I get older. Can you help me figure this out?"

The album opens almost sleepily with the song "Earthquake." It's slower and not my favorite track, but I think it's a good opener and sets the tone for the remainder of songs. After "Earthquake," it's pretty much 10 straight very solid songs. Songs that stick out for me are "Revival," "Desire Lines," and the aforementioned "He Would Have Laughed" (especially the last couple minutes of the song).

Pick up this album; you won't be disappointed! (And thanks to fellow Trapper, $G.00 for recommending this album to me.)

Best of the rest

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we were unable to complete our Lollapalooza countdown. Claptrapped would like to apologize to its loyal readers. But because the festival is still a couple days away, I thought I'd list the five bands I'm most looking forward to from the bands we didn't cover. Lady Gaga just missed the cut...

5. Spoon: I happened to start listening to Spoon soon after their previous Lollapalooza performance a few years ago, so I've unfortunately never seen them live before. They're a very solid band with a lot of good albums. Definitely won't be missing these guys on Saturday. They have a conflict with Edward Sharpe, so that might be a tough decision for some people, but not this Claptrapper.



4. Hot Chip: I kind of missed the boat with this band when they released their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was a Claptrapped favorite, but I never checked it out until recently. Subsequently, I acquired their previous album, The Warning, and their most recent work, One Life Stand, and I quickly became a big fan of these guys. Another tough decision for Lolla attendees, as they go up against everybody's favorite: the Black Keys. I'll be at Hot Chip, for sure.



3. Yeasayer: I've seen these guys three times before, and they've gotten better each show -- by a lot. I imagine they will have to plateau at some point, but until then, I think I'm going to keep checking them out. The addition of a second percussionist really helped with the band's sound when I saw them last year, and I'm excited to see them play some of their new stuff. Yeasayer has the 4:00 slot on jam-packed Sunday.



2. The National: As Claptrapped's biggest National fan, this is probably to be expected. They're one of my favorite bands, so I can't pass up the opportunity to go see them. They have an hour-and-fifteen-minute set scheduled, with virtually nobody up against them -- Sunday at 7:15. Even though I think I like the National a lot better on their albums as opposed to live, I still can't wait to see these guys after the release of their outstanding High Violet earlier this year.



1. Arcade Fire: The thought of finally being able to see Arcade Fire makes me downright giddy -- and that was before I heard their new album, The Suburbs, which was released yesterday. I already figure this album will end up as a favorite of the year. This show is going to be epic. I know a lot of people are jazzed for Soundgarden, but there's just no way I'm going to miss these guys.

No. 27: Rogue Wave

Rogue Wave was formed in 2002 by lead singer Zach Rogue (Zach Schwartz) after being laid off and devoting much of his newly found free time to recording music. The band has released 4 albums to date, Out of the Shadow, Descended Like Vultures, Asleep at Heavens Gate and most recently Permalight in March of 2010. Rogue Wave has been compared to Death Cab for Cutie and The Shins.

Probably one of my favorite bands, and probably one of my favorite stories to tell as well. Pat Spurgeon, Rogue Wave's drummer, was born with just one kidney and his struggles with touring, dialysis on the road, and the search for a donor are featured in the documentary D-Tour which was on the series Independent Lens, and the twist in this story is really stranger than fiction. Check out this film, it's a beauty. The band's three earliest albums are some of my favorite chill listening, good albums for your hangover Sunday's, can't go wrong with Harmonium, Catform, or Bird on a Wire. Rogue Wave's Permalight paints a brighter picture with songs that have a little more punch and pop, Permalight and We Will Make a Song Destroy are good examples of their maturation.

The band plays Saturday at 1pm and it doesn't matter who they're playing against because you shouldn't miss it.

Rogue Wave's video for Chicago X 12 was directed by actor/comedian Bob Odenkirk.


Bob Odenkirk's - Rogue Wave "Chicago x 12"



bob MySpace Video

No. 28: Stars

Stars is a Canadian rock band that, on first listen, sounds a lot like Broken Social Scene. That would make sense, as the members of Stars also play with Broken Social Scene. Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan share singing duties, and it makes for a nice mix.

I'd describe Stars' sound as "pleasant." Since I have been in a big Broken Social Scene mood lately, I'm finding Stars somewhat appealing, but they don't carry the same energy or feel. A lot of their songs are a little too slow for me. So I wouldn't mind listening to Stars every once in awhile, but I don't see myself checking them out at Lollapalooza this year. If you're a big BSS fan, it might be worth attending their set to see if they are joined by Emily Haines from Metric (and also a fellow Broken Social Scene member).

Stars plays on Saturday at 2:15. They're not really up against anyone special, so they might draw a decent crowd.

Stars on MySpace

No. 29: Deer Tick

Deer Tick is a folk rock group from Providence, Rhode Island. Lead singer/guitar John McCauley sings with an interesting raspy voice -- but I can't make up my mind if I like it or not. Deer Tick reminds me a little of Dr. Dog, with maybe a little more folksy feel. The group currently features former Titus Andronicus guitarist Ian O'Neil.

I like this band, but I'm not sure if I'd like to see them at a festival like Lollapalooza. I think a small club on a Friday night would be perfect for this band. They have a pretty good timeslot -- 5:00 on Saturday. And they really aren't up against anyone else I want to see, so it's possible that I go check them out. Or I might use this time to get some food before Spoon and Cut Copy...

Deer Tick on MySpace

No. 30: The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers are what you would call a Canadian indie super-group.  Most of the band were all known in the Vancouver music scene before they formed.  Members of the group include well known solo artists Neko Case and AC Newman.  They have been putting out solid material for the last decade now and consistently make albums that definitely sound like a mish-mosh of many talented musicians.  They focus mostly on straight power-pop with crowd pleasing ballads and sing alongs.  Their album, 'Together', that came out this year has the old familiar rhythmic hooks and energy that the last album, 'The Challengers' was missing.  This is not to say the album doesn't have slower introspective songs as well, but The New Pornographers shine best when nailing that triumphant verse.  Like say, Rilo Kiley, this is a band you and your girlfriend could like for different reasons.  The guitar riffs are fun and sunny and sometimes come crashing down to reality.  In recent years front man AC Newman's lyrics have become more dark and cryptic.  Neko Case is not featured as much, but the sweet melodies contributed to with Kathryn Calder are still lovely.  There is definitely a lot to take in when seeing The New Pornographers live.  They have 8 members in the band and countless other contributors from bands like, The Dap Kings, Okkervil River, St. Vincent, and Beirut. You will here prominent piano, horns, and violin in just about every song.  If you have a chance to take in a few songs in I would.  They are playing on Friday at 4pm and as far as I can see Devo is the only competition they are up against.  The Black Keys are on after them so it might not be a bad idea to camp out and check em out.

Single from 'Together', "Your Hands"

No. 31: Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts from Kendal in England's Lake District have drawn some standard geographical comparisons to bands like Elbow and I Am Kloot. Their sound isn't as similar as their roots but I can see where a comparison may have been made. I tend to compare the band to one of my favorites, The Talking Heads.

With all that said and the high standards their comparisons have set I'm not all that big a fan of the music and that's for one main reason, the lead vocals. I've heard this complaint from others before in reference to bands such as Passion Pit, Modest Mouse, and Gomez among others and have had a similar problem with The National and Wilco, but after enough listening learned to live with and then love the peculiar vocals. My thought has always been if the music is good the vocals will fall into place. I'm not sure if that theory will continue to fly with Wild Beasts.

Hayden Thorpe's voice is said to be countertenor, and I can't take it or at least a whole albums worth. I enjoy some of their songs especially Devil's Crayon and All the King's Men and of their two albums I think I slightly prefer their latest Two Dancers, but as an entire collection his voice tends to turn me off. It may end up growing on me, it's not looking good though. Wild Beasts got a pretty good time slot on Saturday at 1:15, I may try to catch them after Rogue Wave and hope that the music drowns out most of the vocals.

Wild Beasts on MySpace

The Official Site of Wild Beasts

No. 32: Chromeo

Chromeo is a 2-person electronic band from Montreal. Their music sounds straight out of the movie "Weird Science" or some other similar '80s flick. It's funky, it's pretty cheesy. I could see Chromeo being a total guilty-pleasure band. They remind me a little of Hot Chip, but with more of an '80s feel.

P-Thugg and Dave 1, as they are known, started Chromeo in 2001. They will be releasing their third album, Business Casual, on August 17. They play Lollapalooza Friday night at 7:00, right after Hot Chip. I'm not sure if I will be in attendance. I think I would have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy these guys live. And by right frame of mind, I mean really drunk. But I think it might be fun.

Chromeo on MySpace