Thursday, January 31, 2008

Schubas Is the Place to Be in February

Four of the best indie bands in the country will be performing over two nights at Schubas in February. Due to such high demand, they added a second show on February 8th for Next Big Things MGMT and Yeasayer (sorry - both shows already sold out). The very next night brings in Tulsa, opening for The Whigs, both remarkably talented bands with plenty of promise.

Hailing from Boston, Tulsa is a trio of east-coasters that sound more like they really are from Okie Country, recalling the southern-tinged psych-rock of My Morning Jacket or Kings of Leon. Releasing two critically acclaimed seven-song EPs in 2007, and hitting the studio with the likes of producers Phil Ek (Band of Horses) and David Newfield (Broken Social Scene), mean that a 2008 debut LP will be highly anticipated and almost certainly well-received.

Check out "Breath Thin" from I Was Submerged, broadcast earlier this week as a KEXP Song of the Day:

Tulsa - Breath Thin

Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/tulsamusic.


Headlining on the 9th are The Whigs, who just released their first album in four years, Mission Control, one week ago. There is good reason for some comparison to fellow ATO Records mates, My Morning Jacket and Gomez, as well as the ever-present alt-country influences of Sun Volt and (early) Wilco. Comparisons aside, though, these guys bring plenty of their own Athens, GA flavor to the table, and the live show is sure to be a treat.

Here they are on Letterman a few nights ago:


Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/thewhigs.

-jT

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Posts From Other Coasts: Next Big Thing Alert!

Seattle quintet The Hands don't yet have plans on touring the Middle, but if you listen closely you should still be able to hear them. Described by another writer more clever than I: The Hands are like The Strokes - if The Strokes were lumberjacks instead of silver spoon-fed rich kids that went to boarding school. Their 2006 EP So Sweet contained seven songs of gut-wrenching garage rock of the Stones-meets-Sonics variety. Their self-titled debut LP (released through Selector Sound, February 19th) promises a bit more complex compositions, but plenty of the plain and simple Rawk, with ten new tracks and two re-recorded faves from the EP.

Check out the mp3 for "Lies Lies Lies", one of the two re-recorded tracks:



Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/handshandshands.

-jT

Favorite Websites of the Day

So if you need to take a smoke break but you're trying to quit, or maybe you don't like standing still in negative-25 degree windchills, but you need to kill seven minutes to get away from whatever other mundane shit is going on, then peruse one or both of these enjoyable websites, sure to bring a smile to your face.

Sleeveface describes itself simply as: "one or more persons obscuring or augmenting any part of their body or bodies with record sleeve(s) causing an illusion." And it is simply a collection of just that. Now maybe that sounds like some dorky shit your dad did on vacations, but witness the evidence of the skilled photography that is http://www.sleeveface.com:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The other fantastic murderer of time requires speakers and a bit of patience (it takes a minute to load). But at http://rorrimkcalb.com/arcadefire.html you get to play producer and remix your own version of Arcade Fire's "Black Mirror". The mysterious video accompaniment manages to work well with whatever version your sick mind comes up with. We highly recommend killing the drum beat for the final 30 seconds at least - absolutely beautiful. Have fun.

And if you don't feel like getting creative, here's the official music video for the song:



-jT

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

New Music Tuesday

Sometimes Tuesdays feel like Christmas. With all the anticipation and build-up of what's inside that strangely-shaped box wrapped with that giant red bow, opening the present either results in massive disappointment or utmost exultation. And so occasionally the music industry's designated day for new album releases carries with it that same excitement and anxiety, specifically when a highly-touted new act with previously leaked tracks finally gives us their first full-length.

For months we've been teased with the same two or three tracks from Next Big Thing Vampire Weekend. Well today their self-titled debut finally dropped, and it truly is a gift. With a throw-back sound recalling Peter Bjorn & John, the NYC quartet moves quickly through each track (the whole album is a brief 35 minutes) of post-new wave pop. Perhaps it is simply that each song is only two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half minutes long, but not a single one dissatisfies. "A-Punk" may be the preppiest punk ballad ever, but it may also be the most accessible and enjoyable, and "I Stand Corrected" is a pleasant admittance of wrongdoing that denies refusal of forgiveness. Added to previously released/leaked "Mansard Roof", "Oxford Comma", and "Walcott" - each duly creating the aforementioned hype - this is a most promising debut. Let's hope they get to the middleCoast soon. In the meantime, enjoy the mp3 for "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", the reason for all the Paul Simon comparisons:



Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/vampireweekend.

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Joining in the gift-giving this holly Tuesday are Portland duo The Helio Sequence, with their fourth release (their second for Sub Pop), Keep Your Eyes Ahead. These indie rockers have always been masters of creating atmosphere, and the soaring guitars and ethereal vocals on "The Captive Mind" and title track "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" continue that virtuosity. What Helio Sequence manages to pull off on this most recent LP, though, is to evoke shades of (dare we say it?) Bob Dylan. "Shed Your Love" is gorgeous melancholy, a tale of love lost and the self found. Finale "No Regrets" has all the country thump and lo-fi production of a Guthrie-cum-Zimmy track, harmonica and all. The two styles combine for cultivated collection of truly endearing dream pop.

Unfortunately, the closest these fellas are planning on getting to the middleCoast is Denver, so you can check out their live performance from today's KEXP broadcast here, or enjoy the mp3 for "Lately" here:



Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/theheliosequence.

-jT

Monday, January 28, 2008

Why Aren't These Guys Huge? The Pack

Sometimes it just takes a little while for That Which Is Cool to reach the Middle from those other coasts. The fact that these kids aren't the biggest thing in Hip Hop, though, is beyond us. Fortunately for us in Chicago, Bay Area MCs The Pack are finally taking some time away from their San Francisco State education to go on tour. Tuesday night (1/29) they bring their minimalist brand of hyphy, Too $hort-style rhymin' and shinin' to Schubas.

Their first full-length, Based Boys, dropped this past October, but its biggest single, "Vans", was blowing up West Coast radio way back in 2006. Listen to the hook just once and you'll understand why they call it a "hook". Be sure to wear 'dem rainbow Vans tomorrow night. Check out the video:



Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/thepack.

-jT

Friday, January 25, 2008

Teenage Wasteland

Aptly named The Teenagers cite puberty, love, and sex as their primary influences, and their debut album, Reality Check (released through XL, March 18th), is a trashy romp through adolescence. Though some of us cringe at the memory of high school, this French trio revel in the awkward excitement of vertiginous youth. Avoiding nostalgia and pretension, they instead opt to focus on the humor and absurdity underlying each of our puerile experiences.

For example, check out the video for their first single, "Homecoming" in all its naughty glory:



The Teenagers make their way through the middleCoast this Saturday night at Sonotheque in Chicago.

If "Homecoming" utilized immaturity beyond your capacity, try the poppy "Feeling Better" (mp3 here):



Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/theteenagers

-
JasonToo

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Jay-Z Got Nothin' On Andre Three Stacks

In case there was any question on whether or not Benjamin André, aka Andre 3000, aka Andre Three Stacks, is still the greatest rapper alive (sorry Weezy, sorry Hova - it's true), Atlanta deejay Drama features Dre and Big Boi in top form on "The Art of Storytellin' Pt. 4", an Outkast continuation released on the cultivated mixtape Gangsta Grillz: The Album that dropped in December. No official music video to be found, but this video does at least let you hear it if you don't want to fork over 99 cents on iTunes. Be sure to listen close to the first verse, as Andre spits some of the filthiest lines since Amy Winehouse felt differently about checking into rehab:



Welcome back, fellas. More, please...

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Update: Top Five Band Names (of Bands Playing in Chicago Soon)

As many terrible band names as we've seen, there are just as many that are simply brilliant. Fortunately for some of us middleCoasters, most of those bands also pass through Chicago. Here are the Top 5 upcoming:

5. Murder By Death @ The Metro, 2/26

4. Holy Fuck @ Schubas, 2/17

3. Carolina Chocolate Drops @ Old Town School of Folk Music, 1/27

2. Simian Mobile Disco @ Sonotheque, 3/17

1. God Is An Astronaut @ Beat Kitchen, 3/9

Here is the highly entertaining video for Simian Mobile Disco's highly enjoyable "It's The Beat" -



-Enjoy

Sunday, January 20, 2008

They have boomboxes for heads....

If you enjoy Daft Punk (who actually abducted me at Lalla last August) and electronic dance tunes, then Digitalism and their album Idealism is a must have. Check out their video for their song 'Idealistic'. It's hilariously fantastic. Push play, then dance.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Obligatory Radiohead Posting

Radiohead continue to take full advantage of this whole World Wide Internet thing, giving us more and more in the form of live webcasts and video, to go along with giving us their whole album, no less. Thanks, by the way, Radiohead!

Anyway, yesterday they performed live in London at 93 Feet East, which would basically be like seeing Radiohead at The Bottleneck in Lawrence, or at Schubas in Chicago - in other words, ideal. Here are a couple highlights below. NME has the whole performance here.

"15 Step"


"The National Anthem"



Bloody brilliant.

-jT

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Next Big Thing Alert!

With an album due out through Domino Records in March (it'll be released this month in the UK), These New Puritans are poised to steal hordes of fans from !!!, The Rapture, Chromeo, and the slew of other fellow electro-pop dance-rockers. The album is titled Beat Pyramid, and here is the video for UK single, "Elvis". Now if anyone call tell me what the F this video is supposed to mean, please drop a line in the comments section here.



Kinda freaky, right? But a damn fine song...

-jToo

Monday, January 14, 2008

middleCoast Staff Profiles!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Next Big Thing Alert!

With a poppy new album due out at the end of January, Scotland's Sons and Daughters are about to take the Indie scene by sheer, fist-pumping force. Here's the video for This Gift opener and first single, "Gilt Complex":



*Shameless self-promotion alert: be sure to check out my review of the album in the February issue of UR Chicago.

-jToo

Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta F*** Wit

So Staten Island's finest - the Wu-Tang Clan - have released their latest album, 8 Diagrams. We at middleCoast can't get enough. Maybe it's the utter lack of any other decent Hip Hop out there, or maybe it's just the soft spot we have for the Wu, but this album is as good or better than anything they've ever done. It's far more mature, way more chill, and just as filthy.

The first single takes on The Beatles, no less. "The Heart Gently Weeps" features Erykah Badu on vocals, the Chili Peppers' John Frusciante on lead guitar, and - believe it or not - George Harrison's son, Dhani Harrison, on acoustic guitar. Enjoy.




Go buy or steal the album. It's tight like nuts and bolts.

-jasonToo

Thursday, January 10, 2008

middleCoast 2.0!!!

I hope everyone likes the redesign of the middleCoast here. I'm still working out some kinks, but thought it was time to upgrade a bit. Feel free to leave feedback in the comments section here on whatcha think.

Thanks.

-JasonToo

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Best of 2007 (Revisited)

Thanks to all middleCoast staffers for your picks for the Best (and/or Worst) of 2007. For your convenience, here is easy access to each:

JenniferToo's Top 10 Live Shows of 2007
-"So what if I happened to be standing within five feet of a hundred port-a-potties when I heard "Jane Says" live for the first time?"

Jess's Top 10 Places to Visit Before You Die (of 2007)
-"They've persevered as only the Irish can: through their wit, their whiskey, and their writing."

Rene's Top 5 Most Overrated & Top 5 Most Underrated of 2007
-"Oh, I missed J.Lo entering a nightclub then ignoring everybody? Tape it for me."

Sean's Top 10 Centennial Birthdays of 2007
-"Not since John Holmes has there been a greater challenge to suck this much."

Jess's Worst 10 Things About Working in the Corporate World (in 2007)
-"Conference calls. Gay."

Dave's Top 5 Campaign Trail Foot-In-Mouthers of 2007
-"The caller is then berated by Giuliani for 'his obsessive concern with little weasels.'"

OtherJennifer's Top 10 Reasons Having an Undergrad Degree in Psychology Makes You Mental
-"The first six letters in the title of your degree will be P-S-Y-C-H-O. Nice."

Eggz's Top 5 Hottest Kicks on the Market in 2007
-"There will be an additional charge of 125¥ for the tiny Asian man who lives inside the sole of the shoe."

JasonToo's Top 20 Albums of 2007
-"A set of lush A.M.-ready tunes easily accessible to both your hipster-teen sister and your Donovan-loving dad."

-

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Best of 2007, Part X

In the immortal words of Soul II Soul: Back to life, back to reality / Back to the here and now, yeah. The holidays have come and gone once again, and the middleCoast offices are back open for bizness.

To finalize the mC staff member Best (and/or Worst) Lists of 2007, we present the conclusion of the:


Top 20 Albums of 2007 (Nos. 10-1)

Number Ten (10)
Artist: The New Pornographers
Album: Challengers
Label: Matador
Release Date: August 21, 2007

On their fourth full-length, the Canadian supergroup puts on a clinic in how to craft brilliant pop music. Neko Case and Dan Bejar, fresh from making two of the best albums of 2006 on separate projects, reunite with Carl Newman and the boys to produce a mature and cohesive collection of power pop and rock anthems few bands of today even attempt. "My Rights Versus Yours" is quintessential New Pornographers, while "All the Old Showstoppers" and "Unguided" are bittersweet tales that will challenge even the most afflicted shoegazers to raise their eyes and fists to the sky.

Number Nine (9)
Artist: Spoon
Album: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Label: Merge
Release Date: July 10, 2007

Album title notwithstanding, Spoon have created their best album to date with Ga [et cetera]. Wallpapering our ears with sounds stemming from Motown ("You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" and "The Underdog") to Memphis ("Don't Make Me a Target"), the design remains complete and beautiful. Whether pounding on the keys or crooning into the mic, Britt Daniel finally gives us everything he's got, holding back only when appropriate ("The Ghost of You Lingers"), and the precision and detail Spoon has become so gifted at cultivating into pop tracks manifests itself in some of the most soulful rock in years.

Number Eight (8)
Artist: Band of Horses
Album: Cease to Begin
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: October 9, 2007

In 2006, Band of Horses burst onto the Indie Rock scene with one of the top releases of the year, Everything All of the Time. Despite that success, co-founder Mat Brooke departed in order to spend time with his other band, Grand Archives, leaving Ben Bridwell to begin again. Now, with new Horses Rob Hampton and Creighton Barrett, Bridwell gives us a sophomore release replete with all the swirling sing-alongs, good ole boy twang, and heartfelt ballads that made the debut so tantalizing. On "Ode to LRC" when Bridwell exalts in his crystal clear tenor, "The world is such a wonderful place", the beauty of melody and harmony make us inclined to believe this simple truth.

Number Seven (7)
Artist: Yeasayer
Album: All Hour Symbols
Label: We Are Free
Release Date: October 23, 2007

With the most promising debut of the year, Brooklyn's Yeasayer mix and match a veritable smörgåsbord of influences and derivatives. "Sunrise" and "2080" are psychedelic pop gems in the vein of The Beta Band or Spiritualized, but tracks like "Ah, Weir"and "Many Waves" venture into experiments in Middle Eastern and African musics. Combined with their pitch-perfect harmonizing, they manage to pull off the rare album that is simultaneously art-/experimental-/post-rock AND accessible. Despite the journey through such worldly sounds, at no point does Symbols feel pretentious or condescending. Instead, the kool kids are friendly and inclusive, and we can all tag along for the ride.

Number Six (6)
Artist: Blonde Redhead
Album: 23
Label: 4AD
Release Date: April 10, 2007

The haunting melancholy that drenches 23 seems to make for perfect rainy-day music. The alternating vocals from Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace provide a tender framework for their lush and yearning tracks. Each song feels consistently and continually anxious, like the jilted lover counting the days passed since loneliness struck. What surprises, though, is the point when that dejection and despair start to feel good. Attachment to the gloom fills the void and becomes cathartic, and soon the album sounds just as lovely even on a sunny day.

Number Five (5)
Artist: Peter Bjorn & John
Album: Writer's Block
Label: Wichita
Release Date: February 6, 2007 (US)

When was the last time you could hear a song - a song featuring whistling, no less - over and over and over again on the radio, in commercials, in movies and still NOT get sick of it? "Young Folks" miraculously pulls off this feat, and it may not even be the best song on Writer's Block. After the brief instrumental opening of the title track, "Objects of My Affection" leads off the album with a coming-to-terms anthem, declaring a heartening self-awareness. We then get to enjoy the aforementioned "Young Folks", followed by similarly poppy "Amsterdam", which (perhaps intentionally) leads into the mellow "Start to Melt". The next few tracks continue the wistful dream-pop before another standout, "The Chills", alters the direction of the final few songs with its echoing vocals laid over percussion and bass-driven melody that calm and quiet the soul. The mingling of the earnest and energetic pop with the brooding atmospherics will ensure the album's place as a modern-day classic.

Number Four (4)
Artist: LCD Soundsystem
Album: Sound of Silver
Label: Capitol
Release Date: March 20, 2007

Disco-punk king, James Murphy, makes the best music around for white kids to dance to. What he's also managed to accomplish with Sound of Silver, though, are some of the most touching pop tunes of the year. The humor in "North American Scum", for example, when Murphy points out that "New York's the greatest if you get someone to pay the rent" balances with the bittersweet elegy of "Someone Great" because at the surface and at the base are the sonic grooves that keep moving forward. Bringing Side 1 to a conclusion (not accidentally) is "All My Friends", a new wave throwback that would fit alongside the best New Order track. The transition from adolescence into adulthood is a difficult one rife with poor decisions and a tendency to latch onto immature behaviors; what comes across with "All My Friends" is the acceptance of mistakes and realization that there aren't really any right answers, so there can't be any wrong answers, either. So just keep dancing.

Number Three (3)
Artist: The National
Album: Boxer
Label: Beggars Banquet
Release Date: May 22, 2007

I could've easily rearranged my Top 3 albums in any order, as Boxer is quite possibly the best of the year. Matt Berninger's plaintive baritone recalls Leonard Cohen, as do many of the short stories disguised as songs. The dense arrangements and emotive tones call for deep introspection, while the intimate and personal lyrics provide the basis for each listener to relate in his or her own way. The album contains wholly different meanings for each listener taking the time to pay attention. By being dramatically specific, The National's reach widens and expands to dramatically universal territory.

Number Two (2)
Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: Neon Bible
Label: Merge
Release Date: March 6, 2007

When the revolution comes, Arcade Fire will be on the front lines, leading the charge. The ebullience and theatrics of Neon Bible alternate between anthemic arena-rock and the state-of-affairs despair. "Keep the Car Running", "Intervention", and "No Cars Go" certainly provide a fair comparison to Springsteen, as do the multi-instrumental orchestrations permeating throughout. Win Butler and company maintain their originality, however, with experiments into more progressive song structure and arrangements, such as "Black Wave / Bad Vibrations" and "Ocean of Noise". The result is a lush and enthusiastic collection of fist-pumpers that play like gospel music to indie kids. Music is undoubtedly a religious experience, and Arcade Fire open their arms wide to inspire faith.

Number One (1)
Artist: Radiohead
Album: In Rainbows (Disc One)
Label: self-released
Release Date: October 10, 2007 (online)

I've hesitated writing about In Rainbows for a couple months now. First of all, the novelty of Radiohead's online release allowing fans to choose their own price has come off as revolutionary and a slam against record companies. Whether or not this method will result in any sort of industry sea change is still to be determined. Unfortunately, the hullabaloo surrounding this topic has detracted from the music itself. Which is my other hesitation in writing on it. As a Radiohead fan, it's quite difficult to critique without any bias. The original 10 tracks of Disc One have played over and over again in my home and in my head. What I'm trying to determine is if my initial reaction is accurate. You see, I'm inclined to say that In Rainbows is very simply the best Radiohead album yet. What that means, then, is that In Rainbows is better than OK Computer and better than Kid A; and in this humble fan's opinion, OK Computer and Kid A just happen to be two of the greatest albums ever recorded in the history of modern music. So to say that In Rainbows is better than those two classics is to also say that it is one of the greatest albums of all time. A difficult claim to make just three months after its release.

What I will claim is that In Rainbows is the band's most mature and sophisticated album to date. Combining the digital-rock gloom of Kid A, the subtle textures of OK Computer's balladry, the jazz-inspired wanderings of Amnesiac, and the night rain-drenched cool of Thom Yorke's The Eraser, In Rainbows finally feels like the next logical step for the world's foremost musicians. Yorke's pained but hopeful lyrics and vocals, Jonny Greenwood's post-classical compositions, and Phil Selway's underrated beats that keep pace for songs that live outside of time - all anchored by Nigel Godrich's production - are simultaneously advanced and grounded.

Certainly, parallels to previous albums exist: the digi-rock of openers "15 Step" and "Bodysnatchers" recall "Idioteque" and "Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner)", respectively, while closer "Videotape" shares the minimalist denouement of Kid A finale, "Motion Picture Soundtrack". But there is a buoyancy to the new tracks that hadn't existed so fully on prior albums. The paranoia remains, and maybe gravity does always win, but it doesn't always have to get you down. Even this album's title implies a light at the end of the tunnel: in rainbows we glimpse those shades of vibrant color that shine through the bleak landscape after the storm.

-JasonToo