Blog: Sauw Space

Stay tuned for my full review. In the mean time check out this video of one of the many classic Talking Heads songs Byrne played live. David Byrne - Houses In Motion

Going to the magnificent Carnegie Hall for the first time, I realized how sensually amazing of a performance setting it truly is. Visually, it has an absolutely beautiful interior with intricately designed walls that escalate up to five levels of velvet seating and eventually reach the beautiful ceiling. Aurally the auditorium is equally spectacular. It's evident that the it's spacial architecture was meticulously planned to generate fresh and permeating acoustics throughout the room, which sound better than any other concert venue I've ever attended. Given this high caliber of performance space, it's no surprise that that Andrew Bird was chosen [...]

The debut album from Seattle's Fleet Foxes seemingly came out of nowhere to quickly become one of the more critically acclaimed albums of 2008. While many compare the album to The Beach Boys' classic Pet Sounds (with its earthy feel, rich harmonies, and consistently great songwriting) simply confining their sound to this is both an injustice and simply inaccurate. Fleet Foxes confidently combine indie folk, Baroque pop, and even elements of Medieval music to create a wholly organic sound that will grow and flourish from your speakers. The band is led by Robin [...]

Destroyer is a solo project created and embodied by the wildly talented, Vancouver native Dan Bejar. Since 1995, Bejar has used Destroyer as an outlet to carefully craft and refine his mighty and enigmatic songwriting tendencies. Although falling primarily under the genre of independent rock, Destroyer definitely should not be confined to a single sound. His influence stems from an assortment of past, well-grounded musical roots. As we listen to Destroyer, we first hear the theatrical vocal approach of Bowie, the cryptic and poignant songwriting of Pink Floyd, and the notably Dylan-esque stream-of-consciousness lyrical approach of Dylan. While partially borrowing [...]

1.) For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver Link to my album review 2.) Dear Science, TV on the Radio Link to my album review Link to my concert review of TV on the Radio @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple 10/14/08 3.) Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes Album review coming soon... Link to my concert review of [...]

2008 was as good a year as any for music's current best acts to deliver a bountiful basket full of great foot-tappin', knee-slappin' music to our doorsteps. Here are the 25 songs that I personally enjoyed the most...maybe you'll enjoy something here as well. 1.) "Skinny Love" - Bon Iver 2.) "Lord, I'm Discouraged" - The Hold Steady 3.) "Golden Age" - TV on the Radio 4.) "Look At You" - My Morning Jacket [...]

The Hold Steady are one of those bands that it seems absurd that more people don't appreciate now, yet if you know their music you'll know that 20 years from now twice as many people will be listening to them. The Hold Steady is the creation of singer/songwriter Craig Finn, who at first glance you might expect to see in the cubicle next to you rather than leading one of the most inspired and cathartic bands in existence. While the band owes a lot to past rock powerhouses (in this album explicitly paying tribute to The Clash's Joe Strummer and [...]

In 2002, Mike Skinner under the name "The Streets" emerged with a confident strut from the depths of a London garage and released one of the most brilliant debut albums of the last ten years, titled Original Pirate Material . His sound was loosely derived from the emerging British 2-step style and garage rap genre, complemented by his signature white boy rap vocals filled with hilarious banter, biting social commentary, and occasional heartache. It was an invigorating and exciting release, one that took England by storm, but unfortunately hardly made an impact in the states. His second release [...]

The Dodos' debut LP begins with one of the most instantly hooky and likable opening tracks of the year. "Walking" struts along to a steady beat, guided by light banjo-plucking and effectively harmless vocals, perfectly easing the listener into an album that will soon lead them into very unfamiliar and often salient territory. Avoiding a fade of any sort, "Walking" rolls right into "Red and Purple", the first track to actually begin to reveal the band's full M.O. Dodos is an experimental pop duo that hails from San Francisco, sparked in 2006 [...]

Mark Kozelek is the sole heart and mind behind Sun Kil Moon, which is essentially a continuation of the formula from his last band, the critically acclaimed Red House Painters of the 90s. Throughout Kozelek's career, he has been known to use his songs to paint lush portraits of sorrow and yearning onto a canvas with intimate acoustic ballads that feature his tender, sheltered vocals. While his songs are often mournful, Kozelek usually sheds just enough light onto the darkness to keep us mesmerized rather than distanced. His guitar playing can be simply stunning, as is the case when he [...]

Most people my age probably know Randy Newman best for his unforgettable songs from the film Toy Story (or maybe during the brutal representation of him in the Y2K episode of Family Guy ). I was once in the same boat as well, that is until I gave a listen to his albums Sail Away and 12 Songs from the beginning of his career in the early '70s, now both commonly considered to be classics in modern singer songwriting history. At surface level, these albums are simply collections of New Orleans-based rhythm and [...]

In a time when there are only really a couple of well-known blues-rock duos around, it's hard not to draw comparisons between The Black Keys to The White Stripes. Both bands emerged at the beginning of the decade with minimalist mentalities, understanding that the blues was based on the bare essentials of a guitar and the weeping of a man's heart conveyed through his vocals. In recent efforts, both bands have begun to evolve their sound as their careers have progressed, although in slightly different ways. While Jack White has steered his ship towards edgier, more frenetic rock innovation, the [...]

The results of the U.S. election are in, and simply to say that America has a "new" Commander in Chief moving into the Oval Office would be an unbelievable understatement. Last night marked a significant turning point in U.S. history, and most certainly a turning point for world history as well. With Obama's arrival to the White House, we are ushering in a new era of change and hope that our depleted country so desperately needs. So in celebration of this momentous event, and in accordance with Obama's near universal support among the music community, I've compiled what I call [...]

In 2005, a singer/songwriter by the name of Sufjan Stevens exploded onto the music scene with the release of an album called Illinois , the second step in a self-proclaimed effort to make an album for every state in the United States (already having checked off Michigan). Before it's release, Stevens had begun to quickly garner an avid following after having released a wealth of delicate and gripping, banjo-driven compositions that spanned over four albums from 2000-2004. With Illinois , Stevens shed some of his Christian-rock label by brilliantly chronicling much of the state's history through beautifully layered [...]

With each successive release, it's easy to see that Jim James and crew are working to expand the reach of the band's sound more and more. The move from 2003's It Still Moves to 2005's stellar Z marked a shift from their traditional, reverb -entrenched Southern rock psychedelia to a more tightly written yet experimental and otherworldly sonic landscape. This year, My Morning Jacket expanded the range of their musical radar even further with their incredibly eclectic and ambitious fifth album Evil Urges . The album is essentially [...]

R.E.M. comes out bold and blazing from the opening seconds of Accelerate , immediately wiping their slate clean that has been dirtied over years from a series of lackluster releases. For over a decade, the band considered as one of the pioneering forces for the entire alternative rock movement has struggled to come anywhere close to the past heights they achieved in the 80s and early 90s. What's immediately obvious about their newest release is the band's decision to essentially strip its sound down [...]

I got to the Brooklyn Masonic Temple around 7pm, an hour before the band that I had been waiting years to see would soon be taking the stage. I neared the temple and noticed a silhouette of a dred-locked/afro hairline (the likes of Sideshow Bob) in the darkness that I quickly realized belonged to TVOTR drummer Jaleel Bunton, who was standing on the corner smoking a cigarette. I approached him and introduced myself, asking him if he'd ever played there before. Bunton responded, "no, but it's a creepy place." I laughed and told him that maybe it was fitting, being [...]

Beck emerged from the 90's alternative rock scene as the prodigy of postmodern eclecticism. After his first two releases, Beck was quickly deemed the poster-boy for creating intelligent, genre-blending music that became something ultimately original and profound. Throughout the years, he has essentially played hop scotch with a range of styles, jumping around and mixing genres like pop, psychedelia, jazz, folk, blues, funk, and experimental rock to create a kaleidoscope of incredible music. And so Modern Guilt marks the 9th LP release from one of this generation's most prolific and versatile singer/songwriters. This time [...]

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At 9:20pm, Fleet Foxes arrived on the Grand Ballroom stage at the Manhattan Center with a slight look of apprehension in their eyes. As the lights rose on these five Seattlinians , it was immediately obvious they had been thrown into a venue larger than any they'd ever played before (which midway through the show lead singer/songwriter Robin Pecknold admitted to). However, this shouldn't be that big of a surprise for those who follow the band. Many of us knew that it would only be a matter of months before their incredible debut album caught the attention [...]