Spoon. July 17, 2008 at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, RI. Up until 8:15 last night, Spoon hadn't played in Providence in nearly half a decade. But as they launched into "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case", we all realized it was worth the wait. Especially after enduring the spectacle that is Jay Reatard (who served as the opening act). The Frampton-look-a-like launched into a 25 minute onslaught of indistinguishable songs, only pausing to shout at the other band members (who looked like un-painted versions of a Kiss cover [...]
Full coverage from Saturday and Sunday will be up later today. Thanks for reading!
I, for one, am super excited to hear the new Cold War Kids album. I've been a fan of theirs since the 2006 release of the Up In Rags EP , and they re-recorded all those old songs songs to make up their stellar debut, Robbers And Cowards . Which means it's been a while since I've heard new music from them! Like I said, I'm excited for their sophomore album. It's called Loyalty To Loyalty , and it's due September 23rd via Downtown Records. And then, I saw this teaser [...]
The second album in the "Broken Social Scene Presents" series is coming out soon. This time, Brendan Canning gets the credit. But really, do the titles matter? Or is this just another Broken Social Scene record? Well, in any case, they're certainly keeping the flavor of the collective alive. Canning was, after all, one of the founding members of Broken Social Scene. Yet, this record doesn't match the ferocity of the albums under that moniker. It's a good album, but it's a bit more rough, a bit less interesting. I think part [...]
Maps & Atlases finally have some new recordings to show for themselves. I've been eagerly awaiting their follow-up to their stellar Trees, Swallows, Houses EP , and a new EP was finally released on July 1st. This time around, the band seems to have mellowed out a little. Now, don't take that to heart too much, because they're still full of boundless energy and enthusiasm. What I mean by that statement is this -- the guitar seems to be a bit less spastic, a bit less wild, and the drums attack with less ferocity and [...]
If you're having a bad day, I'm guessing this will make you smile. Although I must admit I prefer Andrew Bird's turn as Dr. Stringz ... But hey, I'm glad Feist is contributing to the children's market as well. Thanks to Stereogum for finding this. Feist - 1 2 3 4 (from The Reminder ) Feist - I Feel It All (from The Reminder )
Ivan Colón's new EP is masterful. It's a short collection of songs, but it's more than enough to rope you into his folky, melodic beauty. The first song to really grab me was "Gabriel", with its subtle catchiness, it will quietly work its way into your memory. The entire EP is similarly great, and it deserves just as much attention. Now, I can't help but note how reminescant Ivan Colón's music is of early Sufjan Stevens. Hushed vocals over gently strummed acoustic instruments -- not to mention Colón's strong faith that shines through in his [...]
[Note: I originally published this on Tuesday, but I -- just right now -- have noticed that the post disappeared from Under The Rotunda. Sometime in the last few days, Blogger inexplicably deleted all traces of the post. I have no idea what happened, but here it is again. No new post today due to my heavy summer school midterms, see you Monday.] Sorry for the absence yesterday -- I spent the holiday weekend in Wisconsin at a home without internet access. However, while I was away pretending all of my work didn't [...]
The Peasantry have been one of my favorite local Boston bands ever since I heard them last fall. I had yet to write about them until today, but I was prompted by some rather sad news recently. For it seems the Peasantry have called it quits. A bulletin was delivered from their Myspace a few weeks ago proclaiming that the band was dead, and it was announced that their last show ever would be their June 20th performance at Harpers Ferry. Bummer. I had the good fortune to see them several times throughout the past [...]
Boston/New Hampshire locals Old Abram Brown would like to open for Coldplay. I mean, so would a lot of people, but you can actually help them make it to the stage. LiveNation is running a contest in several cities to determine who will open for Coldplay, with radio station WFNX partnering up for the Boston show. The contest is based off online votes for band's video, and Old Abram Brown's dashing music video for "In Your Highchair" has helped them make it to the finals. Vote for them here . It's the eighth [...]
[Disclaimer: Yup, this is a music blog. But, as some of you know, burritos are a passion of mine (second to music, of course). So please excuse the brief lapse from music coverage as I discuss a burrito joint in my search for the best burritos in the land. I know, I'm silly.] While I didn't eat their regularly, I had fond memories of enjoying Taco Burrito King (commonly referred as TBK) in high school. The Chicago-land chain was a great stop for a burrito when late-night hit, and the doors of Chipotle [...]
Sorry for the absence yesterday -- I spent the holiday weekend in Wisconsin at a home without internet access. However, while I was away pretending all of my work didn't exist, I did have a chance to listen to the new Beck album quite a few times. At first, I was underwhelmed. The album is rather subdued, but as it settled with me I began to appreciate its subtle tastiness. Modern Guilt relies heavily on the songs' grooves, simple as they may be. These grooves are complimented by production from Danger Mouse, who [...]
[Note: This interview was originally published via audio format last February. However, since I can't host the mp3 forever, I'm revisiting the interview in article format, for internet posterity.] Nomo have a way of burning the house down live every time I see them. They always manage to perform with an audacious amount of energy, and I never cease to have an awesome night. This was the case at the Pitchfork Music Festival last summer, and it was again the case at the Middle East Upstairs in February [...]
I'll take every opportunity I can to post this video. Happy 4th of July, y'all.
I opened my email this past week to a message that made me (for perhaps the thousandth time) bemoan the fact that I do not live in New York City. It was from the Wordless Music series , which is a wholly awesome conceptual series of concerts uniting classical and contemporary art forms. Their philosophy states: The Wordless Music Series is devoted to the idea that the sound worlds of classical and contemporary instrumental music -- in genres such as indie rock, free jazz, and electronic music -- share more in common than conventional thinking [...]
French Public Radio Network station France Inter has a feature called "Black Sessions," where they invite bands and musicians to perform for a live radio broadcast. Since it's inception in 1992, many alternative and indie bands have performed on the show, including Andrew Bird. Since I shared the National's set a few months back, I thought it was time to throw Mr. Bird's performance out there. Andrew Bird is always phenomenal live, especially when he performs alone. His solo show at Northwestern last spring remains one the best shows I've ever been to. [...]
Ever since I saw them open for Voxtrot , I've been a fan of the Little Ones. They are a fun pop group, full of energy and bouncy, happy musical lines. Their debut album was scheduled to come out this summer, but they were very unfortunately dropped from their label, Astralwerks. Last April, to tide fans over from the delay and continue their momentum, they released a second EP, entitled Terry Tales & Fallen Gates . It continues right where Sing Song , their debut, left off. No time is wasted -- [...]
Since Pitchfork just revealed the set times for the rapidly-approaching Pitchfork Music Festival last Friday, I thought I should finally write about Animal Collective. It took me a long time to get into them, but everything really started to click for me this past year. For the longest time -- the greater part of two years -- I dug the song "Leaf House," but just didn't really think much of the rest of the album ( Sung Tongs ). With time and more listens, I've realized just how outstanding they are. Last year's [...]
Ah, yes, time for some shameless self promotion. Clatter Clatter is a band I'm in -- and I can't really talk about my own music, so here's what some others have said: From Late Night Wallflower : Although they have enough soul and bite to stand out from other indie bands these days, Clatter Clatter just want to have fun. Screw the trappings of being a musician! Playing great songs is their mission. As a New Yorker, I shouldn't be rooting for Bostonians, but whatever, they're good. From [...]
This was going to be a live review of Shearwater at Chicago's Mansion on Tuesday night -- unfortunately, I've come down with something of a stomach flu this week, and I was unable to attend the show. I blame the gross YMCA cafeteria burrito I had over the weekend at my family reunion. But I digress. Despite the lack of a live review, I still felt I should write about Shearwater today, because I have really been enjoying them for the past few months. Their latest album, Rook , just came out June 3rd. [...]
Under The Rotunda
Monday Music – 28 May 2012
Bison - Quill
