DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: Brandon Flowers – Flamingo
– I imagine that this will probably catch more hits than most of my other blurbs. That’s fine. Your loss, dicks. I get that people dig the Killers sound. This was originally planned as a run of the mill Killers’ album but after Brandon Flowers’ band-mates decided to extend their hiatuses he chose to take what he’d written and try it out as a solo album, with a little help from rock’s favorite indie hipster ginger. That’s right Jenny Lewis’ name appears in the credits here as both a vocalist/writer (“Hard Enough”) and writer (“Was It Something I Said?”). She sure gets around.
I mentioned that it was planned as a standard run of the mill Killers album, but as I give it its first spin I’m realizing that to be quite untrue. it is actually kind of different. It still has the Killers D.N.A (“Crossfire”), but it’s been muted and toned down. Mr Brightside is a bit less bright. “The Clock Was Tickin’” is down right country country and “Playing With Fire” has a Springsteen meets Tom Petty vibe. It makes total sense because everyone is trying to be someone else in Vegas. Classic Nick Papa Giorgio syndrome here. Are far as anthems go the front man for The Killers’ sarcastic ode to Vegas is something to behold. All The Killers-haters, say what you will about Brandon Flowers, but “Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas” at its worst is still better than that awful Foxwood’s ear worm.
Highlights: “Hard Enough”, “Crossfire”, “Was It Something I Said?”, “Playing With Fire”
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: THE DRUMS – ‘THE DRUMS’
It has been a great first two days of this, the second week of June. Yesterday we saw the release of the 4th Generation iPhone (a flash, but no FLASH!) and today marks the release of the Drums’ debut LP. What does a full LP of The Drums mean for us? LA, It officially means it is time for the June Gloom to pass…and then come back. “Let’s go Surfing,” a.k.a the best whistling on a song since Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks,” should be used for the “Summer 2010″ videos you’ll all be making on the fly with your new fancy 4th generation iPhones with 720p video and iMovie on the go all summer long. It is the perfect summertime anthem since…well…”Summertime.” Just don’t expect the rest of the album to be as 60’s infused pure, punchy, and soundtrack worthy. The tone of the LP jumps from sweet innocent surf infused pop to an 80’s synth downer party soaked in reverb. However even in their darkest hour they emit rays of sonic sunshine that can’t help but make you want to reach for the light in the midst of the lyrical darkness. Go grab your beach gear…but just remember to bring some SPF 100 and Zoloft. Consider it Seasonal Affective Disorder for your iPod…or maybe make it the soundtrack to when you decide to play beach volleyball teamed with Morrissey & The Smiths versus The Cure. It will all end in tears.
Side out Muthafu$kers!
Highlights: “Let’s Go Surfing,” “My Best Friend,” “Forever and Ever Amen,” “Me And The Moon.” “It Will All End in Tears”
Added bonus: For some reason they chose to leave their best song off of last year’s EP and this year’s LP. You can check it out here: “I Felt Stupid“
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: Crystal Castles – ‘Crystal Castles’
Alice Glass of the Canadian Electronic duo Crystal Castles is known to be a bit of a jerk. Being well aware of her propensity to suck, it is no surprise here to see that they named their second LP “Crystal Castles” ….the very same title of their first LP….thus fucking with my iTunes. Pretty obnoxious behavior right there. I tried to stay mad at them while i listened to CC 2.0, but I couldn’t. The album is too good. They may not have grown up as people, but their sound sure has. Their prima donna jerk-faced behavior in the past can all be forgiven with this album full of toned down (in comparison to CC 1.0) electro experimental noise. In some songs the sparse (again in comparison to CC 1.0) arrangements make you forget that you’re listening to Crystal Castles altogether. Perhaps with the new sound they should go with a name change to exorcise all of their demons and detractors. Might I Suggest “Castle Greyskull?”
Highlights: “Not In Love,” “Celestica,” “Baptism,” “Vietnam”
Catch them this August @ The Hard Summer Fest
The Robotanists EP Release Party Downtown LA 04/10/10
(click on images to enlarge)
Ever since I got ahold of their new EP, “Shapes and Variations,” I’ve been a huge fan of the Robotanists. Sure, it hasn’t been a long time, but it’s been a whirlwind of a romance. If you’re a regular TRAffIK reader than you’ve read my glowing musings about Sarah, Daniel, and the rest of the Robotanists. If not, you should do yourself a favor and go read it now before you continue. Go ahead. I’ll wait…..
OK, now that we’re all up to speed….I saw them play this past weekend in a loft setting straight out of “How To Make It In America.” The Robotanists failed to disappoint…unlike that awful HBO turdfest. (Seriously, did we really need an East Coast Entourage) The band’s set list mixed in some old tracks, covers, and a new track that highlighted their rich pop driven sounds and unique arrangements . I expected to enjoy their set, and I did, but after sitting through it I went home with a newfound appreciation for the band. When listening to their recordings it is easy to get lost in Sarah Ellquist’s magnetic voice so it was refreshing to see them live and have other members stand out along with her shining vocals — most notably the driving rhythms Preston Phillips drums and Daniel de Blanke’s guitar solos. Don’t believe me? Check out the video below of them covering the INXS classic “Never Tear Us Apart. (I was going to yell out “Suck on that, Beck!” but I thought better of it. Beck seems like a guy who holds grudges and I didn’t want the Robotanists getting in the middle of that.) They rocked their set and on top of that they couldn’t have been nicer people.
I expect this band to really take off in 2010. If anyone deserves to “Make it in America” it is the Robotanists
Set list:
1) “Close Down The Woods”
2) “Never Tear Us Apart” (INXS Cover)
3) “Lack There Of”
4) “Dance Dance Dance” (Lykke Li cover)
5) “How We Met Before’
6) “Wait A Minute Here”
7) “Subtlety is Underrated”
They’ll be playing a free set @ Spaceland at the end of the month. Go! For all you less frugal/lazy WestSiders (I too used to be like you) you can check them out at the Dakota Lounge on 10th & Wilshire (used to be the Temple Bar) on May 23rd.
Misc Notes:
If you’re looking to become their #1 superfan it is too late. The position has already been filled by the girl who danced throughout the entire set and belted out all the words to EVERY song and coupled them with heartfelt hand gestures that may or may not have been sign language.
The Atlantic Line followed the Robotanists and they were the pleasant surprise of the night. Check out their site where you can download their album for free
The least pleasant surprise of the night: The Blame Andy.Com guy with the shady mustache getting angry with me when I returned form the bathroom and told him he was in my seat. Imagine the Jamie Kennedy bush exchange in Harold and Kumar. It was as awkward as that. I’m still not very sure what www.blameandy.com is and I really don’t want to find out.
DELTRON3030 RECOMMENDED: Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
The Gorillaz, a goofy side project for Damon Albarn did something that Blur could never do stateside - They became popular. Sure gay dudes and fat chicks really dug Blur and “Song #2″ became an arena Anthem, but they never saw their US popularity match the level of love they received across the pond. The same can’t be said for the Gorillaz. Their first two albums sold 15 million copies, well exceeding anything Blur ever did. Damon easily could have grown bitter that his 2D counterpart thrashed him the way his nemesis Noel Gallagher used to during the mid 90’s Brit-Pop wave, but he instead embraced the role of pied piper of the whacked out Gorillaz army. Twelve years since their inception and initial success the Gorillaz are in the midst of their greatest triumph – They have become a full on band (more on that later), they released an amazing new record Plastic Beach, and they’re headlining Coachella. The fact that Plastic Beach was on everyone’s most anticipated album of 2010 list is a testament to the work that Albarn and his collaborators have put out in the past. Not bad for a “fake” band.
After weeks of scouring the internet for a leak of Plastic Beach, and ending up with an album of old remixes and then an album full of Rick Astely’s “Never Going to Give You Up” (yep. I got
rick-rolled), I decided to do the unthinkable and wait until the album was officially released to purchase it. My patience wore thin as the days closed in on the release but it was totally worth the wait. It is a fantastically crafted album that as It turns out it is something more…and at times something less then what you’d expect from the Gorilaz.
Right off the bat Plastic Beach leads off with an Orchestral Intro and you can just tell that this isn’t going to be your typical Gorillaz LP. The intro seques into a forced guest appearance by Snoop Dogg, AKA pop music’s biggest one trick pony. Even with him ruining the slow glide atmosphere you can’t help but feel like you’re being invited into a different Gorillaz world. A hitless world of flowing atmosphere and sprawling sounds. Albarn’s mostly one man show (he writes all the music, lyrics, and more or less plays all the instruments) is assisted on this third album by an eclectic crew of guests (besides the unfortunate Snoop Dogg) headed by Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, De La Soul, and Little Dragon. They all bring sounds to their tracks that offer nice compliments to the familiar Albarn pitch, especially Bobby Womack. He’s the rug that ties the room together,man. He absolutely murders his two tracks. I love this album. I love it because of what it is. I love it because of what it isn’t. I’ll be honest though, I didn’t love it right away. In a way that’s the beauty of it is the different soundscapes, the variety of guests, and the “newness” of it all combine to create a sound that welcomes you to revisit the world over and over again.
Albarn was quoted as saying “‘I’m making this one the most pop record I’ve ever made in many ways, but with all my experience to try and at least present something that has got depth.” In many ways he succeeded. While you’d be hard pressed to find a top ten chart burner in the vein of ”Dirty Harry” or “Feel Good, Inc” there’s a plethora of tracks here that together as a whole outshine the previously released Gorillaz single material. In a world that constantly pushes singles and is comfortable digesting tracks via the iTunes ”Dollar Menu” it is refreshing to see an artist, who has had enormousness single sales history, to strive for something greater. He’s created a whole new world for the listener to travel to. I suppose that is what Snoop Dogg meant when he said “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach.” The Gorillaz will be bringing the Plastic Beach to the Polo Fields of Indio, CA for Coachella. To flesh out the band Albarn has recruited Mick Jones and Paul Simonon (who also appear on the album), performing on guitar and bass respectively. So you’re getting a Clash reunion of sorts to go along with a live Gorillaz concert. Like I said, not bad for a “fake” band.
Highlights: ”Stylo,” “On Melancholy Hill,” ”Superfast Jellyfish,” ”Some Kind of Nature,”
THREE FOR THE PRICE OF ONE
I make a point to support bands when they tour. Part of me feels like it’s out of torrential guilt (see what i did there?) and part of me says it’s simply good karma. I have my limits though. I will not drop $60 to go see Tears for Fears at the Wiltern like some people, but if the price is right I’ll go anywhere in LA to see some good young upstarts. I used to panic at the thought of traveling out of the West Side bubble for shows downtown but I’ve learned to put that past me with the help of google maps, my iphone, and my garmin. Yep I roll three deep when I’m behind the wheel. I’d be the worst teammate in the history of the Amazing Race. By the time you read this, I’ll have seen yesterday’s recommendation, Titus Andronicus @ The Bootleg for $10, and tonight I’ll be seeing three more bands which happen to be today’s recommended albums. For a mere $8 so can you. You won’t find a better music deal anywhere….besides on the drops where you get non-stop free stuff…but you know what I mean. Where else can you see three solid bands for roughly the cost of an Apple Pan burger and a coke?
….and this show is upstairs at the Echo…not down in the god forsaken sweat-box that is the Echoplex basement.
Freelance Whales - Weathervanes
I’d suggest listening to the album before you delve into the venomous Pitchfork review by the oft angry Ian Cohen. He manages to compare them to both Owl City (directly) and Nickelback (indirectly). As if that wasn’t bad enough he adds insult to injury by giving their genre of sound the most cutesy and condescending name that one jaded and cynical smug hipster can come up with: “Nick & Norah-core.” All this review made me want to do is get to the Echo on time for their set and hope that they can prove Cohen wrong.
Bear in Heaven – Beast Rest Forth Mouth
These Brooklyn synth rockers somehow manged to succeed where the Freelance Whales failed…at least in the eyes of Pitchfork. Beast Rest Forth Mouth, received the “Best New Music” award from Pitchfork Media, with the reviewer (not Ian Cohen) stating: “Beast Rest Forth Mouth is as familiar-feeling as it is difficult to pinpoint. BRFM is a welcome reminder that an album doesn’t have to be bombastic to feel huge and important. Take out the earbuds and let it fill a space: This is music that’s bigger than your iPod—music you’ll want to feel all around you. Though not quite coming out of nowhere, BRFM seems like a surprise gift—a striking consolidation of the spiky psych-prog tendencies of their debut into a pop framework.” Quite a change in tone from the previous smear job. I think they gave the band some handjobs to go along with that 8.4.
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains
Another “Best New Music” winner according to Pitchfork. Maybe they aren’t as jaded and cynical as I previously thought. This album scored an 8.3…and that was coming from Ian Cohen!. An 8.3 from that guy is like a 10 from everyone else. This album is full of whammies, fuzz, and crashing crescendos. For a minute I felt like I was listening to a slightly less haphazard At the Drive In. Who knew Staten Island, or as I like to call it “Shaolin”, could rock so hard.
Go see all three acts together when they hit your neck of the woods
03-24 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
03-25 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
03-27 Portland, OR – Berbati’s Pan
03-29 Vancouver, British Columbia – The Biltmore Cabaret
03-31 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
04-01 Denver, CO – Hi Dive
04-02 Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge
04-03 Saint Paul, MN – Turf Club
04-04 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
04-06 Toronto, Ontario – El Mocambo
04-07 Montreal, Quebec – Il Motore
04-08 Cambridge, MA – Middle East Downstairs
04-09 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg