Fontana’s
Wednesday, January 28th
105 Eldridge Street, New York NY
(212) 334 – 6740
Doors 9pm / $5 / 21+
The Depreciation Guild are the first to take stage on Wednesday nights presentation, thematically titled The Rumble by partners Stranded in Stereoand Future Sounds. They begin the night at 9:30. If it is remembered, Frederick Foxtrott has been listening to these peeps for over a year now. As consumers of music en mass, we appreciated the fan-friendly gesture that The Depreciation Guild made in giving away their lasted work free of charge. Just go to their website, www.inhergentlejaws.com, and click on the yellow vertical stripe, and you too can have the record in MP3 format. Their sound is analogous to the sprawling noise and diffuse vocals of the shoegaze golden age with the addition of a 16 bit Nintendo synthesizer. Need we say more?
Cymbals Eat Guitars are relatively new to us. I in particularly enjoy their—and I hate to make such specific comparisons, but they make no bones about expressing their influences—Pavementesque, Isaac Brockian art rock, with hints of the poppier elements of Pinkerton Weezer and early Elliot albums. These guys have replaced Bodega Girls on the roster, which while I have nothing against Bodega Girls, I am very happy for the opportunity to see Cymbals Eat Guitars. For novelty’s sake, it should be noted that the lead singers name is Joe Ferocious. The kids arrive on stage at 10:15.
For those of you who have loved The Dears in all their form and glory, Black Diamond Bay will offer a sort of side view of what life after The Dears is like. Patrick Krief has apparently assembled a multi-layered, textural soundscape complete with ambient sounds and tribal drum work. This will be a great chance to cheer on a true original. After all don’t most guitarists who leave successful bands wonder off into obscurity (aside from Eric Clapton)? Let’s hope that as The Dears have restructured with unfortunate abruptness, they have not damaged the whole but rather multiply in greatness. Will we now have two great bands to listen to? 11:00 for these guys.
Hope to see you all there. As I explained to my friend Gusty Strangeluv, this show should be a 7/10 on a scale of sucktastic to radtastic…His descriptives not mine…
So yeah, Cursive comes to New York…more importantly to Brooklyn. The band is on the road all January and then returns to the Big Apple in March. I can think of no better way to celebrate the birth of Kasher Young than listening to The Martyr on N 6th off Bedford Ave. Their January dates in New York are sold out, but March is coming fast with the Music Hall of Williamsburg already on sale and the Bowery Ballroom beginning sales on Friday.
New York Dates
January 18th UNION HALL
January 19th MERCURY LOUNGE
March 9th MUSIC HALL of WILLIAMSBURG
March 10th BOWERY BALLROOM
The Rest of Cursive’s January Dates
January 14th 2009 Triple Rock Minneapolis, Minnesota
January 15th 2009 Northern Michigan University
January 16th 2009 PSchubas Chicago, Illinois
January 17th 2009 PGrog Shop Cleveland, Ohio
January 18th 2009 Union Hall Brooklyn, New York
January 19th 2009 Mercury Lounge New York, New York
January 20th 2009 Barbary Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
January 21st 2009 Summit Columbus, Ohio
January 22nd 2009 Mojo’s Columbia, Missouri
January 23rd 2009 Slowdown Omaha, Nebraska
January 24th 2009 Slowdown Omaha, Nebraska
Emanuel & the Fear
The Bowery Poetry Club
January 9th 2009
Another cold night in January had me waiting in Sláinte on Bowery in Manhattan. The idea was to drink a pint until 10 PM, when the doors next door at the Bowery Poetry Clubwould open. Unfortunately the ass-hole of a bar also served as a reminder why exactly I dislike drinking in Manhattan. Eagerly leaving Sláinte, I encountered an entrance line strung along what seemed to be the length of the Bowery block.
Inside, the music space swarmed with devotees waiting for Emanuel & the Fear to take stage. The Age of Rockets opened with awkward audience conversation and what made for an interesting display of Ben Gibbard influenced pop. The crowd became thicker and thicker; the room teemed with Pabst Blue Ribbon armed teenagers and care free couples. The room’s energy was nostalgic. It has been a long time since I’ve been so intimately surrounded by bright eyed excitement. Too often these days, any sign of appreciation by the audience is taken to be social ineptness on their part. While sharing not even the remotest amount of context, the experience reminded me of being in my hometown, watching some unknown band at the Culture Center, or any number of bands down at the trailer park. The atmosphere was electric, from the girl offering herbal downers to silhouetted smiles dancing through the powdery color of neon light.
Emanuel & the Fear populated the stage like an army of musicians. The 11 band members took their places and readied their violins, guitars, and horns for the opening song off the night’s featured EP, The Rain Becomes the Clouds. In contrast to the clean and polished EP track, their live rendition snared the audience with its palpable emotion. Emanuel’s voice, while tremendous on record, cut through the room with commanding appeal. A common thought throughout the show was that the band works best live. They are built for performance. Comfortable Prison and encore closer Jimme’s Song exemplified this best. Both begin soft and fragile with punctuated vocal pauses. They then become, to different degrees, voluminous and driven. The self-titled EP has many great elements, but Emanuel & the Fear require a space that allows the instruments to differentiate themselves. The studio seems to have compressed the tones and notes. The less densely stratified textures of their live performance elevate the band from their already excellent yet humble talent. Their mix of electro-pop and orchestral quality composition are a sight to see. As for Emanuel & the Fear’s intense take on Radiohead’s The National Anthem, you’ll just have to see that for yourself.
This Friday, January 9th, Emanuel & the Fear will be playing at the nicely named Bowery Poetry Club. The doors open at 10pm withEmanuel & the Fear playing at 11:30. This event will be an EP release party for the band via Paper Garden Records. They will be displayed in full force with 11 players on stage. The venue should sell out so buy your ticket at the link below; the cover is only $8.
While I am as curious as anyone to hear how Emanuel & the Fear sound live, I know that Paper Garden Records has a history of supporting very talented artists. The EP release party will be filmed, which always adds an extra bit of energy to all shows.
Check out this extremely realistic fake New York Times A section. My favorite part is the new motto, “All the News We Hope to Print.” The faux paper has been distributed in Manhattan all morning and is making quite the water-cooler conversation piece. Visit the pranksters’ web site while it still exists, click here.
This year we have chosen to highlight 3 line-ups and venues for 2008 College Music Journal’s Music Marathon. Of course, we are also featuring a few bands from each list, as we know everyone could use a little heads up on these fine, fine bands.
Cory Chisel & the Wandering Souls 7:00 PM Shugo Tokumaru 8:00 PM
Audrye Sessions 9:00 PM
Love As Laughter 10:00 PM
Wild Sweet Orange 11:00 PM
Margot and the Nuclear So-and-Sos 12:00 AM
Wednesday night Tokyo’s Shugo Tokumaru will be the highlight at the Bowery Ballroom which might come as good news to those of you who have late shows to attend. He would be the perfect evening starter.
Other Lives 7:00 PM
Mother Mother 8:00 PM
Wild Light 9:00 PM
Ambulance LTD 10:00 PM Delta Spirit 11:00 PM Eagle Seagull 12:00 AM
The Virgins 1:00 AM
Friday sees perhaps the most varied selection of bands. A good spot to catch a wide selection of new and innovative artists is the Mercury Lounge.
Delta Spirit will knock your teeth in with a brick to the head…very nicely. Eagle Seagull will instill in your heart a moral ambiguity that will make your mother cry.
…dance rock’s finest ladies and gentlemen…
***This year we are going to post submissions from readers who attend this year’s CMJ Music Marathon. Write a narrative, long or short, and let us know what bands deserve attention.***
Where will you be on the 1st of October? Well, you best be at Pianos! Give these cats a welcome they won’t soon forget. Come celebrate the new record, Fools Want Noise, and Oh My God‘s brilliant recovery from the bitter clutches of death! It will be fun I promise…
Below is their video Fools Want Noise off their upcoming record.
If you aren’t in New York, check out these dates at a city near you…
Tour
Sept 25, 2008 Midpoint Music Cincinnati, OH
Sept 26, 2008 (Scene) Metrospace Lansing, MI
Sept 26, 2008 Mac’s Bar Lansing, MI
Sept 27, 2008 Beauty & the Beat Flint, MI
Sept 28, 2008 Allegheny College Meadville, PA
Sept 29, 2008 Smog @ Bard Annondale On Hudson, NY
Sept 30, 2008 Daniel Street Club Milford, CT
Oct 01, 2008 Pianos York, NY
Oct 02, 2008 Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY
Oct 03, 2008 Casa Cantina Athens, OH
Oct 04, 2008 Howard’s Club H Bowling Green, OH
Oct 10, 2008 Doug’s Rockhouse Aurora, IL
Oct 11, 2008 Subterranean Chicago, IL
Oct 16, 2008 The House Dekalb, IL
Oct 17, 2008 Triple Rock Minneapolis, MN
Oct 18, 2008 Cactus Club Milwaukee, WI
Oct 23, 2008 Cowboy Monkey Champaign, IL
Oct 24, 2008 Bluebird St. Louis, MO
Oct 25, 2008 Record Bar Kansas City, MO
Oct 26, 2008 Duffy’s Lincoln, NE
Oct 27, TBA Pittsburg, KS
Oct 28, 2008 Hailey’s Denton, TX
Oct 29, 2008 Beerland Austin, TX
Oct 30, 2008 TBA Paso, TX
Oct 31, 2008 Hotel Congress Tucson, AZ
Nov 01, 2008 Modified Arts Phoenix, AZ
Nov 02, 2008 The Mint Los Angeles, CA
Nov 03, 2008 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, CA
Nov 05, 2008 TBA Rapid City, SD
Nov 06, 2008 Nutty’s North Sioux Falls, SD
Nov 07, 2008 Maya Jane’s Vermillion, SD
Nov 08, 2008 Maintenance Shop Ames, IA
Darla Farmer
Rewiring the Electric Forest
March 24th 2008
Paper Garden Records
There is no need to dissect Darla Farmer into parts; the constitution of their style is quite clear. Their full-length debut Rewiring the Electric Forest is an amalgamation of Louisiana brass jazz, swing, gypsy rock, Americana, hardcore, and the slightest undertone of that frightful three letter word, ska. This audial cocktail is not, as one would suppose, an all out assault on the senses. Darla Farmer textures their music in unconventional ways without demeaning their well worked melodies. Clint Wilson’s vocals have the immediacy and anxiety of Tim Casher and the quirky pitch of Amedeo Pace. That’s right, I said Amedeo Pace. I know I find a way to compare everything to Blonde Redhead but really people…listen to Falling Man followed by Darla Farmer’s The Vigilant Mr. Lynch…yeah that’s right.
The burlesque attitude of Darla Farmer is delicious. The bright eccentricities sound as if they were lifted out of a carnival sideshow. Rather than overcompensating for the inherent problems that come with recording horn sections, the loose and live feel of the horns was captured and exploited very tastefully. Too often these types of recordings come off sounding like metronomed midi files, but the dirt is left on and the atmosphere is kept thick.
Recorded at Mike Mogus’ studio in Omaha, Nebraska (Bright Eyes, Saddle Creek), Darla Farmer has produced a good record that is as aggressive as it is intricate. The Cow That Drank Too Much, Mechanical Thoughts, and Tree on a Hill underscore the range that this band commands. Much of Rewiring the Electric Forest is a throwback to familiar melodic templates, however when the elements are infused some real meaty stuff is made. They should look into touring with Chicago’s Skybox. Their energy and eccentricities are totally compatible. While the horns may be overly emphasized, Darla Farmer are sure to improve the balance in time. In any event these 7 Nashvillans sound as if they would put on one hell of a show.
After The Jump/Paper Garden Records/Indie Outlaw SXSW Day Party
3/15 – Austin, TX @ Lucky Lounge
Team Grizzly / Stranded In Stereo SXSW Day Party
3/15 – Austin, TX @ The Pangae Patio
3/21 – Cincinnati, OH @ Blue rock Tavern
3/22 – Columbus, OH @ Scarlet & Grey Cafe
3/24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ TBA
3/25 – New York, NY @ Club Midway
3/27 – New York, NY @ Piano’s (w/ The Heavenly States)
3/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ TBA
3/29 – Reading, PA @ The Silo
TBA – Washington, DC @ TBA
The Magnetic Fields
Distortion
January 15th 2008
Nonesuch Records
Despite my doubts about the new album Distortion from The Magnetic Fields, I was fortunate enough to be outsmarted by my neighbor, who insisted I give it a chance. Distortion is just as its name implies; it is framed in an early 80’s gothic-rock style and flooded with metallic reverberations and cavernous melodies. The Magnetic Fields have clearly drawn influence from post-punk innovators Joy Division/New Order. Much of this comparison is directed at the production of the record itself. The slightly distant and droney tone of Stephin Merritt is highly reminiscent of Mark Smith of The Fall. Hello Bend Sinister, meet Closer. At times it seems as if the zygotmatic pre-thoughts of Talking Heads wandered into the love child of The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine ala Factory Records. In short this shit is potent!
The Magnetic Fields’ similarities and analogies to other bands have their down side too. Till the Bitter End has a Blonde Redhead quality that reminds me of just how much I want another Blonde Redhead album. Somehow I don’t imagine they were counting on the subliminal advertising of Magnetic Fields tunes. Drive On, Driver cannot be reconciled with the rest of the record. It is like a hot chick with bunions or a hump back (for the record, I have nothing against bunions or hump backs). But songs like Please Stop Dancing and Zombie Boy are unmistakably brilliant. Their detached and defuse pop appeal is inspiring. In a strange way they embody everything Stars want to but can’t because they are too narcissistic. The Magnetic Fields on the other hand are extremely self-reflexively aware of Distortion’s influences and have taken steps to ensure that they do not appear to take themselves too seriously. This awareness not only saves the record from obsolescence, but it is exactly what makes it so relevant to how the music industry navigates itself forward, sometimes stopping to reflect on the nostalgic moments of its past.
Other Music
Distant Plastic Trees- 1991
The Wayward Bus- 1992
The House of Tomorrow EP- 1992
Holiday- 1994
The Charm of the Highway Strip- 1994
Get Lost- 1995
69 Love Songs- 1999
i- 2004
On the Ground is a record to listen to and absorb as we exit the gray days of winter. It records Peasant’s negotiation of gloomy emotions and difficult situations. Many have compared him to Elliot Smith, and he has to some extent ratified that comparison, but rather than misery, his less self-deprecating style tastes of bitter-sweetness. Songs like The Wind and Exposure tap into the lingering darkness of unspoken fears and doubts that distract our daily lives. As we contemplate these moody thoughts, our experiences and unclear abstractions are reified by Peasant’s words.
I have said previously that Damien DeRose’s voice is flawless, but his ability to bottle that beauty is remarkable. Usually such criticism is approached from the opposite angle. People rarely question what can be recorded after seeing such satisfying live performances. I have written at some length about Peasant’s talent and couldn’t be happier with this release. On the Ground offers 13 tracks without sounding repetitive or exhausting my patience and tolerance for sensitivity, which is rare these days. Peasant accomplishes this in part by keeping his songs under 3 minutes, making sure that the bitter moments do not overstay their welcome.
Peasant is a hard working independent artist whose organic music stands apart from the ridiculous number of singer songwriters standing in line for their songs to make it in the annals of recorded greatness, and depending on how hard Peasant pushes himself and his music, I am entirely convinced that he will make it. If not, no one can say that On the Ground wasn’t great. Peasant’s music is as sweet as a mulberry and as perfect as a rainy day. Where he goes from here, I cannot wait to see.
Upcoming Show Dates
Feb 28th @ Piano’s in New York, New York- 8PM
Feb 29th @ John n’ Peter’s in New Hope, Pennsylvania- 9PM On the Ground Release Party
Mar 1st @ The Classic Cigar Parlor in Doylestown, Pennsylvania- 8PM
Mar 7th @ Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York- 8PM
Mar 8th @ Emancipation Rocklamation in Moorestown, New Jersey- 10PM
Mar 10th @ Union Hall in Brooklyn, New York- 7:30PM
Mar 15th @ Lucky Lounge in Austin Texas- 12AM
May 27th @ Café Glockspee in Hanover- 8PM
May 28th @ Intersoup in Berlin Germany- 8PM
