CMJ: Day One

My boy Brice and I went to go see Q-Tip at the Blender Theater Tuesday night.

The opening acts were Eldar and Blue Scholars.

Eldar was amazing. He played with bassist Earl Travis and drummer Terreon Gully. I had never listened to any of them but they are great musicians that go well together. They have a strange-randomized structure about them, and the work they produced was mind blowing to see. I suggest getting Eldar’s latest album, re-imagination.

Blue Scholars was ridiculous. I’m not big in the hip-hop scene but they put on a good show. Sabzi’s beats were sick and they work well with Geologic’s rhymes.

Then the crowed pushed its way forward as we listed to a DJ play some classic hip-hop tracks.

Q-Tip’s band came out: DJ scratch, a guitarist, bassist and pianist.

After a small build up, out comes Q-Tip. The crowd goes fucking insane.

He played for a good hour, classic Quest tunes and many of his own.

Then they left.

Encore. Fucking awesome. Blew me away. They put on a great show, one of the best I have been to in a while. The energy on stage went beautifully with the intensity of the crowd

Then “their boy Andrew” was going to spin a few records. And it was none other than Andrew W. K. His show wasn’t announced and most of the crowd left or didn’t care. The turntables were not working so he couldn’t play, which was disappointing. He pointed out that it is what it is and he didn't let it bother him.

But I asked him what was up and he asked my name. Nicest/only celebrity I have ever met. I shook his hand and he showed me what he was going to play.

It was an obscure Italian funk musician. W. K. explained that the album was self-produced and it is impossible to find copies.

We talked briefly and then he went on to other fans.

Plan for Wednesday – Mates of State

In Rainbows

As you all know, Radiohead just released their latest album today, self released, only on the internet, no help for EMI (their old label) (or any label for that matter), and completely DRM free!!!

There are over 2500 people who are seeding the torrent at Mininova at 12:00 PM EST, which for right now, is easier that going to Radiohead's site, inrainbows.com. they are not charging anything for the album but they are taking donations.

The donations are in British Pounds (1$ = 2.042 pounds)(edit 1 pound = $2.042 sorry I was drunk at the time of posting. - BLF)

I have never really been into Radiohead, but realize that is because I never gave them a chance, (not that I wasn't willing to, I just never did.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead has more information, I don't feel I can give a proper review, because I haven't listened to the other albums, but I like this one a lot.

MAGNIFICENT

Musician, visual artist, and widow of Beatle John Lennon, Yoko Ono Lennon’s latest album is less than amazing.

Yes, I’m a Witch is a remix album, and includes songs which have all been previously released on a variety of her old albums, some with John Lennon. Ono had many artists contribute and redo songs, all of which took her singing and added their own music as accompaniment.

Some of these artists include; Peaches, Shitake Monkey, Le Tigre, Cat Power, The Polyphonic Spree, The Flaming Lips, and Sleepy Jackson.

The album has a wide variety of musical influences and every song is very different from the previous one, but the singing of Yoko Ono just brings the whole work down. There are many different messages in the songs, and the contributing artists do an alright job in portraying the message that Ono wanted to send.



Ono and Rob Stevens produced the album. It was released in February 2007 on Astralwerks, the same label that brings you Chemical Brothers, The Beta Band, and VHS or BETA.

Yes, I’m a Witch is worth listening to, but I certainly would not buy it. Ono does not need any more money to support her sub par art.

Favorite song: Walking On Thin Ice with Jason Pierce of Spiritualized
www.astralwerks.com/ono

In an attempt for further discussion on this topic I just wanted to point out the Ono will be releasing a new album in April.

Some of the songs (in Yes, I am a Witch) were originally released more than twenty years ago. She asked a wide variety of musicians to contribute because she is trying to create a new generation of fans.

All the bands contributing have a solid fan base. They are well known in the indie art scene and although not many people like all of the bands, they are probably dedicated to the bands they do enjoy.

There is an interesting group of “sub top forty” (© Baylen Forcier) listeners who are really commanding the direction of music. They are probably more educated about the history of their music and are more open to different music than the “American Top Forty” fan base.

I believe that they are going to change American music over the next few years, as we can see from bands like Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, and Dead Prez. These bands were top indie bands and their genres are popping up all over the top forty stations.

Of course music has always been like this in some respects.

But …

I smell another grunge era.

Ono is trying to be a part of this movement, good for her. Maybe she hopes that the children of the people who hate her (a.k.a Beatles loving baby boomers) will forget that she “killed” The Beatles. (I don’t think she did. Lennon was crazy.)

What do you think?

This Town Ain't Big Enough...

The Killers caused quite a stir with the release of their second album, Sam's Town. No, it wasn't just the gobs of eye makeup being replaced by worn Old Western attire and scruffy facial hair; They've now traded the glitzy, glamorous pop-rock essence of their first album, Hot Fuss, for a grittier, more raw type of sound which, as a result, has left the door wide open for them musically.

So what makes Sam's Town so different from its predecessor? Well, the most obvious change is in the vocals. Unlike those on Hot Fuss, in which lead singer Brandon Flowers admitted to using auto-tune technology, the vocals heard in Sam's Town are completely genuine, which I think gives them an entirely new sense of emotion and depth.

The vocals, however, aren't all that's changed on the new album. The song structures have become much more complex, and have broken away from the traditional verse/chorus/bridge arrangement. The song "This River Is Wild", for instance, is possibly the most unpredictable track on the album. It opens with heavy blasts of drum crashes and power chords, only to settle into a subdued, bass-driven verse, as a palm-muted guitar sneaks in to build up to a chorus of epic proportions. Finally, just when you think the song has reached its peak, the energy suddenly subsides, leaving nothing but Flowers' gentle lyrics floating over a distant piano.

The album does, much like any other album, have its flaws. There are a couple of songs that are less than impressive, mostly because they sound like they had been made just for the sake of having more songs on the album. "Bling (Confession of a King)", which I find to be somewhat reminiscent of U2's old material, is structured so awkwardly that you could almost take the last half of it and create an entirely new song. Other tracks, such as the album's hit "Bones", retain the upbeat catchiness featured in Hot Fuss, yet lack the profound skill exhibited through the other songs on Sam's Town. All in all, though, the Killers have come a long way...and I think that if they continue in the direction they went in with this album, the possibilities for them are endless.
The Killers - When You Were Young
The Killers - Read My Mind
The Killers - Bones

Not As "Keane" As They Used To Be.

Being comprised of only a lead singer, a pianist, and a drummer, originality was always a factor in the success of the popular "piano-rock" band Keane. Vocalist Tom Chaplin's extraordinary use of high, sometimes falsetto pitches over the steady-driven beats of drummer Richard Hughes and the relentlessly energetic riffs exerted by pianist Tim Rice-Oxley gave the band an amazingly unique sound that set them apart from your average, run-of-the-mill rock group.

I first came across the band by word of mouth, and at the time I wasn't impressed. But after hearing the songs "Somewhere Only We Know" and "Everybody's Changing" (both hits from the band's debut album, Hopes and Fears), there was a spark of curiosity I couldn't seem to ignore. Sure enough, not long after buying the CD for myself, I was hooked.

Yet, with the recent release of the band's second studio album, Under the Iron Sea, I couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed after hearing it. The opening track "Atlantic", in my opinion, could have been eliminated from the album entirely (or at least have been placed differently), leaving it to the significantly more upbeat track "Is It Any Wonder?" to ensnare the listener. Granted, this still wouldn't have been quite enough to save the album, as most of the songs seem to be lacking in one way or another. A prime example would be the song "A Bad Dream", featuring a fairly decent melody paired with repetitive, seemingly half-hearted lyrics ("I wake up, it's a bad dream, no one on my side; I was fighting, but I just feel too tired to be fighting, guess I'm not the fighting kind."). Overuse of the word "fighting" aside, the song in itself just seems to drag on, and doesn't really keep the listener interested.

There are a few select tracks, however, that I find to be up to par with the creativity shown on the HAF album. "Is It Any Wonder?", the first hit to emerge from UTIS, opens with a majorly distorted synth-riff that at first leads you to believe that you're listening to a different band entirely, only to shift into the familiar croon of Chaplin's delicate vocals, almost assuring the listener that this is, in fact, the Keane they know. Other songs, such as the fast-paced "Leaving So Soon?" and the somewhat ambient "Crystal Ball" recall certain elements from HAF that, in turn, give them a sense of distinction and personality, which is what I believe the rest of the album lacks. Still, if you're one of the die hard Keane fans out there, Under the Iron Sea isn't a bad album to have. As for those new to their music, though, I would strongly recommend Hopes and Fears as an introduction.
Keane - "Is It Any Wonder?"
Keane - "A Bad Dream" (short excerpt)
Keane - "Leaving So Soon?" (short excerpt)

Keane - "Crystal Ball"