Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 in Review: Concert photography
Posted by Katherine Coplen on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Slideshow
If a picture says 1,000 words and a year has 365 days, then these five shots from our photographers say a combined 5,000 words about 2011.
Please ignore my extremely suspect math and browse the NUVO photographers' favorite shots of 2011.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Review: Tiger's Jaw at The Hoosier Dome
Posted by Kyle Long on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 3:20 PM
- Artur Silva
- Tiger's Jaw at The Hoosier Dome
Thursday, Dec. 29,
The Hoosier Dome
I must admit, I wasn't familiar with Tiger's Jaw when the show's promoter Joe Adams insisted that I check out their Thursday night performance at The Hoosier Dome.
"It's gonna be wild. The place will be packed. Everybody loves these guys," he assured me.
I was tempted to write off his glowing praise as standard promoter hype, but I took him at his word and ventured out to the DIY punk rock venue, located a few blocks east of Fountain Square.
- Artur Silva
- The scene outside The Hoosier Dome
He was right. I arrived at The Hoosier Dome at 9:15, a few minutes before the Scranton band took the stage. The house was packed and a sense of anticipation was hanging in the air. That anticipation quickly turned to adrenaline as the quintet launched into their opening song amid a flurry of reckless stage divers.
Tiger's Jaw maintained a frenetic pace throughout their brief 45-minute set, reaching a climax during a chaotic, high-spirited encore performance of the Nirvana classic "Breed." The encore featured opening act Captain, We're Sinking vocalist Bobby Barnett.
- Artur Silva
- Captain, We're Sinking vocalist Bobby Barnett
Musically, Tiger's Jaw offers no great revelations. Their emotional and poppy punk rock sound recalls '90s acts like Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate. However, the group pillages its bank of influences with respectable aplomb, competent musicianship and undeniable passion. All of this equals up to one of the most fun and energetic rock shows I've attended this year.
- Artur Silva
- Packed house at The Hoosier Dome
Rock / Roots 2011 in Review: Local roots
Posted by Rob Nichols on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Best New Local Band: The Dead Hearts
Brandon Perry and his buddies put together a group of Indiana guys playing crunchy Midwest and Memphis rock and roll. They made the Q95 Next Big Thing contest, and have a look and sound that harkens back to power pop crossed with Fogerty. This is unapologetic, Petty rock.
Best Local Album: Tim Grimm - Wilderness Songs and Bad Man Ballads
Part compilation album, part new material, Grimm's new album invites you in with his warm, conversational, roughly gorgeous voice. He keeps you listening because the songs richly describe the details of the characters who live there.
Lucky to See Them Here: Civil Wars at the Earth House
Huge. That is what they are. The success they have had this year, both critical and commercial, was on display on a sweaty July night when the duo poured beautiful harmonies into the old church. They played late in the year at a larger venue (the Egyptian Room), but this is the show that the fans will talk about in reverential terms in 10 years. It was a magical and memorable night of music for the soul.
Two Unexpectedly Great Live Shows: REO Speedwagon at Rib America and Huey Lewis at Clowes Hall
The Champaign, Ill., boys of REO turned Rib America into a sing-along that was propelled by a surprising classic rock energy from Kevin Cronin and his band. They pulled out some old stuff ("Son of a Poor Man") that felt good, and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Hi Infidelity album with multiple cuts from that smash. Great sound, great energy and one of the nicest surprises from an old rock band this year. Lewis, on the other hand, has partially reinvented his band as a Stax/Memphis soul and rock group. Mixing his hits with the soulful sound of the South, Lewis thrilled a Clowes Hall crowd, looked good and proved how you can maintain your integrity as a performer 20 years after your most recent hit song.
Guitar Player Taking it National: Thom Daugherty
Fresh from the breakup of The Elms, Daugherty has done some production work and caught on as a sideman/guitarist with the uber-hot The Band Perry. As the DVD/album "The Last Band on Earth" shows, the guitarist and his crunchy chords were a large part of the legacy of The Elms. He has taken that start and vaulted himself to a place that takes him on a cross-country trek, meeting some of his heroes and allowing him to play for more people than The Elms ever did.
Last Time Around For Two Legends: George Jones at the Murat, and Glen Campbell at the Palladium
Campbell is wrapping up his career with a tour and battling Alzheimer's disease, while George is simply an old guy who has lived nine lives. Both revisited their hits for audiences that sensed they were watching history.
Maybe Not The Last Time: Bob Seger at Conseco Fieldhouse
His show in May was a greatest hits extravaganza, but how could it not be, with his ubiquitous radio status? He forgot the words to "Turn the Page" and laughed it off. That's because the other two and a half hours were filled with the rock and roll soundtrack of the lives of any rock fan between the ages of 35 and 60. Seger tours without a flashy stage set up - no big screens, no lasers, no fire bombs. He just brings the band and rock and rolls like it's 1980. God bless Bob Seger. He's back out on the road and putting a new album together.
Naptown Record Club: Prince Julius Adeniyi
Posted by Kyle Long on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 7:00 AM
Earlier this month Indianapolis lost one of its most unique and gifted musicians, master percussionist Prince Julius Adeniyi. The Nigerian-born Adeniyi immigrated to Indianapolis in the early 1970s and quickly integrated into the local scene, performing with many of the city's best jazz artists and establishing the Omo Obukun African Cultural Center.
Today, Prince Julius is best remembered for his role as a teacher. Adeniyi worked tirelessly for several decades educating Hoosiers on the cultural traditions of his Yoruban heritage. But the percussionist left a much larger legacy in his recorded output; his work on a pair of world famous local recordings brought his name to the attention of jazz and funk record collectors across the globe.
Foremost among Adeniyi's recordings is his contribution to vibraphone player Billy Wooten's In This World LP. Adeniyi is featured prominently as a percussionist on the 1979 cult classic. The funky Latin jazz groover "Chicango" still gets major play by DJs from London to Tokyo.
In This World is a highly desirable LP in the collectors' market and you can expect to pay between $150-$300 for an original pressing. However, a Japanese CD reissue is available through specialty shops like Chicago's Dusty Groove.
In This World was just the beginning of Adeniyi's collaboration with Wooten. The pair would team up again to form the Naptown Afro-Jazz Quintet. The quintet featured an all-star line up of local jazz luminaries. Steve Dokken, Jack Gilfoy and Royce Campbell rounded out the group.
The Naptown Afro-Jazz Quintet recorded one LP, a self-titled, privately released album issued in 1980. This LP remains the best recorded example of Adeniyi's work. The album's tracks alternate between typical jazz pieces and African percussion interludes, the latter of which give Prince Julius an opportunity to showcase his skills.
The following clip features three songs from the album, the traditional Yoruba drumming of "Praises to Buriamoh Atanda Adeniyi," a batucada-driven Brazilian jazz piece "Samba da Rio" and "Bambara," which features Julius playing a Malian-style balafon.
Unfortunately The Naptown Afro-Jazz Quintet album is difficult to track down and original copies often trade hands for $300 to $400. However, local label Audio Recon has acquired the rights to the album and has plans for a vinyl/digital reissue in the future.
The easiest and most affordable option for scoring an Adeniyi vinyl artifact is the academically titled 1979 recording Omo Obukun African Cultural Resource Center of Indianapolis Presents: Ancient Coronation Ceremony and Music of the Yoruba Recorded in Concert at The Indianapolis Children's Museum.
A live recording of an actual Yoruban coronation ceremony, the LP features Adeniyi performing and discussing the Nigerian drumming tradition. The Omo Obukun record is a staple in the "world music" section of local record shops, often priced under $10 bucks. The album also frequently pops up in record store dollar bins and thrift shops.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
2011 in Review: DIY Shows
Posted by Kelsey Simpson on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 3:45 PM
1. The Dream Is Dead at Dude Fest - The Dream Is Dead was simply one of the most memorable hardcore bands to come out of the Indianapolis scene. In a genre ridden with similar sounding artists, “T-Diddy” (as they were affectionately known) were known for their politically-charged lyrics and the brutal guitar stylings of member Jared Southwick, who died earlier this year. After 10 years of tearing apart basements and stages across the nation, The Dream Is Dead gave their final performance at this year’s Dude Fest to honor their late guitarist.
2. Punks Don’t Give A Fest - 2011 was the year of festivals with terrible names. Not quite as confused as “In The Fest Of War,” this festival deserves a mention primarily because all ages punk rock shows seem to have fallen off the radar. Fear not, however, this should become an annual event according to promoter Kenneth Keener, “(Punk rock) does exist, it doesn't suck, and it's not just limited to one age group, gender, philosophy or style.”
3. Step Dads - It’s not often that bands can switch lead singers midway through their existence and still retain a decent following. Step Dads came out of left field as a post-hardcore powerhouse featuring James Lyter of Chaotic Neutral on drums and Nathaniel Wolos from Take Two on vocals. Currently, they are dedicated to playing DIY shows and showing the world that, with a quick member change, even a girl can be a Dad.
4. Bolth’s Final Show - The Earth House is perhaps the greatest all ages venue in Indianapolis. They have a strong advantage over other local venue spaces—their room comfortably holds several hundred people with plenty of room to avoid the pit, and plenty of room to join the chaos. In a packed room, hardcore weirdos Bolth gave their farewell performance alongside It’s All Happening, punk rock veterans The Meatmen, and ska-punk heroes The Suicide Machines.
5. Earthbound - Based out of Fishers, Indiana, Earthbound originally gained recognition through the ES Jungle’s “High School Battle of the Bands”. Since then they’ve been playing out more and have managed to craft the perfect amount of pop rock and ska.
2011 in Review: Kyle Long's top albums
Posted by Kyle Long on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 1:15 PM
Editor's note: NUVO contributor, DJ and Cultural Cannibal Kyle Long picks his top ten albums and shows for 2011.
1. Seun Kuti - From Africa With Fury: Rise (Knitting Factory Records)
This year was a huge one for afrobeat. Femi Kuti, Ebo Taylor & Orchestre Poly Rythmo all released great albums, but Seun Kuti's sophomore LP featuring production from Brian Eno was the clear standout for me.
2. tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L (4AD)
W H O K I L L reminds me of so many artists I love, from Joni Mitchell to the Raincoats, but it was Merrill Garbus' use of African music, like the Congolese Pygmy singing techniques on "Bizness" that really made me fall for this LP.
3. James Blake - James Blake (Atlas)
This is a beautiful debut LP from James Blake, mixing avant-electronica with a singer-songwiter approach to create a wholly original sound.
4. Ocote Soul Sounds — Taurus (ESL)
Brilliant exploration of Afro-Latin music, from Ethiopian jazz to cumbia.
5. Helado Negro - Canta Lechuza (Asthmatic Kitty)
An ambient excursion into Tropicalia, Roberto Carlo Lange's lovely falsetto floats over abstract electronic soundscapes, while his songwriting nods toward the great Nueva Canción tradition.
6. Fatoumata Diawara - Fatou (World Circuit)
The West African nation of Mali ruled music for me this year. Bombino, Tinariwen and Vieux Farka Toure released amazing LPs, but Fatoumata Diawara's debut album caught my ear with its soulful, jazzy sound.
7. Africa Hitech - 93 Million Miles (Warp)
Spacek and Pritchard cover a vast swath of electronic territory, while reinventing Sun Ra and Ini Kamoze as 21st century bass music.
8. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up (Sub Pop)
Harsh, experimental sounds from the Digable Planets' Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler. Butler is still pushing hip-hop forward nearly 20 years after the release of Reachin'.
9. World Hood - World Hood (self released)
World Hood explore the spaces between Afro-Latin and South Asian music, using funky 808 hip-hop beats as their guide. Tracks like "Om Shanti" blur the lines between Mexican, Jamaican and Indian music so perfectly, it's impossible to detect where one ends and the next begins.
10. The Weeknd - House of Balloons (XO)
A surreal journey into the dark side of R&B.
2011 in Review: The best punk rock
Posted by Nick Selm on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 8:30 AM
It was a good year for punk rock. Some great shows came through town, including a fantastic Bolth/Suicide Machines show at the Earth House, Moneybrother at the Murat Theatre, a killer (and sadly, probably the last) Dude Fest at The Hoosier Dome and The Dopamine at the Dojo. On a bigger level, the international punk scene produced some top-notch records this year. I compiled some of the best punk songs of the year in a tracklist so you can create a 2011 Punk Rock Mixtape.
Star Fucking Hipsters — “Drowning Out Another Year”: SFH’s latest record, From The Dumpster To The Grave, wasn’t perfect by any means, but it has its moments. Frontman Stza, also of Choking Victim and Leftover Crack fame, knows how to craft perfectly crusty pop-punk gems. “Drowning Out Another Year” takes their Crack Rock sound to new levels of melodicism and intensity. It's perfect start to a punk rock mixtape.
Frank Turner — “I Am Disappeared”: Frank Turner has made a name for himself as a folk-punk bard. On his fourth album, England Keep My Bones, Turner cranks up the carpe diem vibe of previous records to make a self-assured English record. We Yanks might not get all the references to Exeter or Rufus The Red, but EKMB is proof that Turner has perfected his art.
Sharks — “Trains”: On the cusp of being huge, England’s Sharks has created a sound that is refreshingly new but comfortingly familiar. On “Trains,” one can hear the transcendent passion of The Clash, the reckless remorse of The Replacements and the gritty grind of Hot Water Music. Keep your eyes on these guys because I’m expecting great things in the future.
Algernon Cadwallader — “Sad”: Even though their name can be a mouthful, Algernon Cadwallader are the leaders in the current emo revival. The Philly four-piece harkens back to the glory days of emo before the name became bastardized into a Hot Topic fashion trend. Driving melodies and wiggly guitars propells their 2nd record, Parrot Flies, to greatness. “Sad” is just one of the many highlights.
Grown Ups — “Wigwam”: Even though they were riding high following the release of their Handholder EP, Grown Ups decided to call it quits this fall. The Northwest Indiana emo band had created quite a bit of buzz with their fantastic songwriting and insane musicianship. Handholder showed the band moving into new, exciting territory, too bad they’ll never record a new record.
Bomb The Music Industry! — “Sick, Later”: BTMI has taken the “DIY” tag to new heights. Six albums into their career, the celebrated punk/folk/electro/ska band still manages to give their music away for free. On their latest offering, Vacation, the band presents their most well-rounded sound to date. “Sick, Later” combines the best of 90’s pop-punk and 90’s alt-rock into one perfect package.
Wooden Satellites — “When Fast At Home”: When I first heard this song my mind was blown. When I found out that these indie punks hailed from Fort Wayne, my mind was blown all over again. Their mixture of sophisticated indie rock with just the slightest touch of hardcore energy makes for a instantly likable sound. “When Fast At Home” packs the perfect punch. I hope they venture down to Indianapolis soon.
Alkaline Trio — “The American Scream”: Alkaline Trio aren’t at the top of their game anymore but their latest album of reworked “classics” contained some nice surprises. One of the real treats was a re-recording of “The American Scream” from their 2010 album This Addiction. While the original didn’t do much for me, the new version reimagined the song as a brooding, keyboard-driven ballad that would make Robert Smith smile.
Banner Pilot — “Western Terminal”: Banner Pilot vocalist Nick Johnson has a voice like Crisco sandpaper; it’s simultaneously greasy and gritty. On Heart Beats Pacific, he uses his pipes to great effect, paying homage to both Jawbreaker and Dillinger Four. To be honest, most of Heart Beats Pacific sounds the same, but it all sounds good.
The Strokes — “Under Cover Of Darkness”: Say what you will about The Strokes but there is no denying their mastery of the craft. Angles, the band’s first album in five years, is fairly spotty but it has plenty of pleasant surprises. “Under Cover of Darkness” contains some of the most entertaining guitar work I’ve heard in long time. I dare you not to like this song.
Against Me! — “Lost And Searching In America”: Against Me! released an impressive 7” of new material this year but it was the release of demos from 2005’s Searching For A Former Clarity that really stuck with me. Not only did the songs sound better as raw demos, Total Clarity contained three unreleased songs. “Lost and Searching in America” is a reminder of why AM! was the most important punk band of the 2000’s.
Dead To Me — “The Monarch Hotel”: Every Dead To Me record is a different experience. While 2009’s African Elephants had some missteps, Moscow Penny Ante is a confident stride in the right direction. Some songs are better than others, but frontman “Tyson” Annicharico has a very distinct style that shines on tracks like “The Monarch Hotel.”
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Rock 2011 in Review: Best concerts
Posted by Grant Catton on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 3:00 PM
I saw close to fifty shows this year, some as a music reviewer others as a fan. Some were incredible, others forgettable, and many others filled the vast middle-ground in between. I missed a few great shows too, like The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, and The New Pornographers, but there’s only so much time in a week. Why eight? I just didn’t want to dilute the list by including any shows I felt less than 100% enthused about. This list, therefore, represents the absolute best of the best of what I saw in 2011.
On tour to promote their Grammy-nominated album Zonoscope, this Aussie synth-pop band turned-in one of the most energetic, well-produced, and simply electrifying performances I’ve ever seen. They packed the Vogue on a rainy Monday night and the crowd got so crazy that CC lead singer Dan Whitford had to implore everyone to chill out. The combination of lights, bass, synth, dancing, and the band’s unrestrained enthusiasm made for a rave-like atmosphere. It was an obscenely good show.
2.) Arcade Fire at Pepsi Coliseum
Alright, this one’s kind of a slam dunk, but despite being fully-established as indie rock legends and despite the fact the show was moved from The Lawn at White River indoors on a dreary April weeknight, AF put on a superb show on their first trip to Naptown. They relied heavily on the strongest hits from The Suburbs (or they might’ve had a riot on their hands) and truly put on a spectacle; they filled the super-wide stage with their troupe of musicians all standing spread-out at the front like buskers, while two drummers kept time majestically on raised platforms, all beneath a surreal B&W film loop projected on a screen above. Hearing them drop the opening piano chords of “The Suburbs” toward the end of the show was a moment I’ll never forget. Openers The National also put on a hell of a show.
3.) tUnE-yArDs at Rhinos (Bloomington)
For an indie music fan this was one of those absolute must-see, clear your calendar, cancel your plans kind of shows and tUnE-yArDs delivered the goods. Their percussion-heavy, homemade R&B kind of sound played even better live than on their latest album WHOKILL, which they were on tour to promote. Merrill Garbus was so fun to watch; dressed in a sort of fuzzy pink boa with half her face painted white, she sang with a raw, gutsy, energy and at times a childlike sense of glee, smiling and giggling in spite of herself when she would pull off a great riff. By the end of the show she had the entire crowd bopping up and down with her in time to her closing song.
Odds are you didn’t hear about this one. That’s because it was a “secret show” announced only 24 hours or so before the event and meant to revolve around this year’s Indy 500 festivities. On a Spring night that started out rainy but turned mild and clear, BoH played to the crowd of 200 in the IMA garden as if it were a stadium of 60,000. The terraced garden, facing the White River, made for great acoustics and as evening drew in the stage lights caught the river fog creating a dramatic kind of mood that went right along with BoH’s classic songs like “The Funeral,” and “The Great Salt Lake.”
5.) Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks at Earth House
Somewhere along the line, in the process of the past 25-odd years as a recording musician, songwriter, and leader of seminal alternative band Pavement, Stephen Malkmus has become a master guitarist. He displayed that at Earth House this fall when he trotted out his latest album Mirror Traffic, a tightly-produced gem of a record. To see this show was truly to watch a master at work playing well-instrumented and technically-brilliant rock and roll.
Granted there were 150 bands, the line-ups at Connor’s and Rock Lobster represented what are undoubtedly the city/region’s best indie rock bands. Outfits like Murder by Death, Pravada, Slothpop, America Owns the Moon, The Kemps, Sleeping Bag, and HotFox—just to name a few—made this an unforgettable day of music and a chance to see a wide swath of what Indy has to offer, for only $15. You simply couldn’t come away from this year’s installment of BRMF feeling anything less than fired-up about the state of indie rock in this region.
7.) Bill Callahan at White Rabbit
I find singer-songwriter Bill Callahan (formerly known as Smog) is one of those staid, quirky artists that you have to be in a particular mood to listen to, and I guess I was in that kind of mood when I saw his show this summer. Cool and aloof, Callahan played his lyrically-rich, prose-poem kind of songs deliberately and with the kind of poised intensity that marks his music overall. The song “Sycamores” actually seemed to move the audience—or at least this reviewer—into a trance as they hung on every word.
8.) The Kemps et al. at Helter Shelter (Indy)
How does a house show in SoBro get on the same list with the likes of Arcade Fire and Stephen Malkmus? You had to be there. The lineup for this show included two of my favorite local bands, The Kemps and Vacation Club, along with Oreo Jones, Learner Dancer, and Grey Granite. On a hot, late-summer night these bands turned the cramped, dark basement of Helter Shelter into a den of sonic mayhem; it was the kind of close-knit scene that makes you feel like you’re part of something. In this case that something is Indy’s thriving independent music scene.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Holiday hip hopera
Posted by Katherine Coplen on Fri, Dec 23, 2011 at 7:00 AM
NUVO Music is out for the holidays. Where are we? Cruising with R. Kelly. Okay, that was a bit misleading. I'm not actually cruising with R. Kelly, but you can. He'll be on the Love Letter Cruise, a private party featuring his first ever performance at sea. En route to the Bahamas and jamming to "Ignition (Remix)?" Sounds like a plan to me.
It's been a big week for R. Kelly, who announced just yesterday that he's written an additional 32 chapters to his magnum opus "Trapped in the Closet." He's currently searching for a financial backer, and then his glorious rhymes (including the absolutely astonishing cliffhanger ending to Chapter 9, "Now pause the movie cause what I'm about to say to y'all is so damn twisted/not only is there a man in his cabinet, but the man is a midget! Midget! Midget! Midget!)" can be set free.
Rock Review: Everything, Now!, Landlord, Vacation Club
Posted by Grant Catton on Fri, Dec 23, 2011 at 7:00 AM
Monday, Dec. 19.
Shared Heritage in Fountain Square
It’s a cold, rainy, really disgusting Monday night. You park your car on Prospect St. in Fountain Square and go around the back of the Murphy Arts Building, to where you’ve heard there’s an art space called Shared Heritage where one of your favorite local bands, Vacation Club, is playing. You try one door but it leads you right into the back of the Red Lion. For a moment you debate having a pint and some fish n’ chips but now’s not the time.
So you prod around for a while, knocking on various doors and ambling down a few hallways, until you find yourself outside again. This time you're headed to an unassuming door at the back of a large, plain brick building. The door is propped open by a little piece of cinderblock, and there’s a wet piece of notebook paper taped to the door that says: Vacation Club, Landlord, Everything, Now!.
Up the stairs you find a warehouse that’s been converted into an art studio space. Down a long hallway there appear to be some people milling around outside of one particular door. So you go, give your $5 donation, and take a look inside. The studio is maybe thirty feet long by fifteen feet wide, with vaulted ceilings, exposed brick on one side. It is bare, but for the musical equipment toward the front where two small spotlights provide the only illumination in the room, pointing straight up the brick wall and creating a dim, dramatic mood.
You sit down on the floor and wait. Others start to mill around inside the room. Then Vacation Club starts to do a sound check. The bassist shouts into the mic, making a few people jerk upright in surprise. The bassist smiles—more than slightly amused—as he continues his sound check. Then someone in the room shouts, “Rock and roll!” and people start to gather to the front of the room. Now the guitarist, drummer, and bassist are all plugged in, jamming on one chord….loud…like they’re revving an engine, just warming things up. You start to wonder how long this will go on, and the crowd starts to bop up and down in anticipation. Then you see the lead guitarist pushing his way through the crowd to the front of the. The band stops revving on the one chord, just long enough for the lead guitarist to grab his axe, and then the first beat drops and away they go…
There’s no way to accurately describe the feeling of having your ears blasted by Vacation Club’s grimy, distorted, surf-rock in a space the size of a large living room when you’re standing ten feet from the amps. It’s so loud it almost hurts, but you cannot back away. The music makes you think of the mid-60s, of the Vietnam War, of the moment precisely as rock and roll was getting angry. It is controlled chaos; it is kind of like the Beach Boys meet The Rolling Stones. But it’s more than that because there is a twisted, psychedelic-punk element you just can’t put your finger on; the lead singer’s chirpy voice and the scorchingly electric delivery of what would otherwise be sugary mid-60s pop makes you wonder if these dudes are completely sane. But, if you like it so much, maybe you aren’t either.
Fast forward the clock about thirty years to the mid-1990s, and Bloomington-based Landlord takes the controls. If you’ve got any hearing left, Landlord immediately sets about to relieve you of that sense, roaring ahead with thick, heavy chords that drip of punk and grunge, pierced with soaring guitar solos. These guys are shaggier than Vacation Club: longer hair and a looser, less structured sound, but at the same time equally, if not more, mature as a band. You look out at the other people in the crowd, swaying and swinging their heads as Landlord roll out a half-hour’s worth of undulating chords and driving bass. You can’t hear the words, but you learn later that one particularly haunting song is called “Jack Song,” with one of those solo runs that sticks in your head for hours afterward.
At long-last, Everything, Now! sets up at the front of the room. Your ears get some much needed relief as their sound is a bit more complex and not quite as heavy as the two previous bands. There is no confining these guys into a single era of music history. Their band chemistry is seamless as they shift skillfully between styles, and no two songs seem to sound alike. The stuff from their new album Do it on The Moon sounds like pure blues-rock (kind of Black Keys-ish) while older songs like “In Heaven Smoking Trees” have a heavy, simple, low-slung feeling. They can even do country-western, with plodding back-forth, bass and shuffling beat on “We Don’t Want Anything But Love.” Their song “Something Like That,” is even more of a departure, channeling some sort of retro vibe, but by now you can’t place who or what or where…it’s just damn good music, and you enjoy it.
