Most albums take themselves so seriously, as if they are wholly unaware that every work isn't a transcendent statement for art. But then there are records like Andrew W.K.'s "I Get Wet," which spread lava like Vesuvius, and don't pretend for a second that they are about anything other than a good time. Remember that one? Don't pretend like you weren't out there acting an ass with your friends to "Party Hard" when that beast dropped. You were, and so was I. That was song was everywhere, and thankfully what waited in the rest of "I Get Wet" was a [...]
“Folk balladry and hazy chamber pop” was the description of Atlas Sound given on the Hawthorne Theater ’s website. True enough, those words reflect Atlas Sound’s recorded material accurately. For the live performance of said material, they could not be further from the truth. Wearing his sunglasses at night like some modern-day Corey Hart, he tells us he wants to start with a book of erotic poetry he purchased at the Powell’s Books store across the street. Atlas Sound (real name Bradford Cox) dives into a dramatic reading of the anthology’s more graphic selections, which are then [...]
Canadian band Cowboy Junkies are not one to rest on their laurels, banking solely on the nostalgia of veteran fans to fill seats at their gigs. Rather, they are constantly creating new music. In 2010, these prolific musicians decided to celebrate their 25th year together by putting out four albums in 18 months. At Fête in Providence this past weekend, the band filled their first of two sets with sultry soulful songs from this recently completed project called the Nomad Series . Lead singer Margo Timmins [...]
Ian Doreian for melophobe We’re really excited to have you play the Boston Museum of Fine Art at the end of the week. But it can be an odd experience; between each song you can hear everything! How do you prepare as a performer for such a live and intimate space? Shara Worden I have some magic tricks up my sleeves: one is I have a secret box that plays six or seven samples to cover over the tuning between songs. Actually, every time I play in Belgium there’s [...]
catch Rye Rye tonight (11:30EST) as she streams a show from the PACCAR Pavilion in Seattle. Be very prepared to shake it to the ground.
It's an odd phenomenon – a few dozen people collected in a room to hear a start-to-finish ukulele-heavy cover of a fourteen year old record. And yet, here we are, swaying and singing (and some of us dancing the Charleston) as a gaggle of earnest young men pay homage to Neutral Milk Hotel's much-celebrated In the Aeroplane Over the Sea . Such is the power of a musical masterpiece. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Though three acts are listed on the marquee, tonight's performers are merely a rotating cast of musicians playing under [...]
One of the loudest thoughts in my mind upon heading home from T.T. the Bear's on Friday night was this: I don't see enough shows. Friday night's lineup was nothing out of the ordinary, as far as lineups go. By that, I mean there wasn't a rap duo followed by a grunge (is grunge even still a genre?) band. Instead, it went as follows: A bearded folk singer sitting on a pink chair alone on stage with only his guitar. He plays it well. His voice is nice, too. What's this guys name again? Something Crosby. His name [...]
Bonnaroo , the Tennessee festival in which close proximity to 10,000 unwashed, neo-hippies is seen as a selling point, has unveiled its 2012 lineup. And its a doozy. Radiohead, Bon Iver, tUnE-yArDs, Danny Brown, The Antlers, The Shins and The Avett Brothers are but a few of the crack acts on the list. Speaking of said list, here is the entire confirmed lineup as of today: Radiohead Red Hot Chili Peppers Phish The Beach Boys Featuring Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston [...]
You could be forgiven for mistaking The Lighthouse And The Whaler for another whale-related indie pop outfit. For a while, it seemed like Freelance Whales had cornered the market on warm melodies, glockenspiel, and precious pop songs. And at first blush, especially on standout track “Pioneers,” the Cleveland-based Lighthouse (I know) sounds a whole lot like that Brooklyn band. On Monday night at Mercury Lounge, after a warm-up from BK natives Ravens & Chimes, The Lighthouse And The Whaler kicked off with that "Pioneers," and immediately showed that the comparison stops at the name. Freelance [...]
It's been a long, cold winter. Although really, it hasn't been a long, cold winter. Maybe it's because it's been about two months since I've been to a show. Welcome to winter in Boston. It felt good to shake off the cob webs and head out to PA's lounge to see the much-heralded up-and-comers Adam Arcuragi and the Lupine Chorale Society last Friday night. It felt so good that I didn't even question why they were playing PA's Lounge. [...]
It's been a long, cold winter. Although really, it hasn't been a long, cold winter. Maybe it's because it's been about two months since I've been to a show. Welcome to winter in Boston. It felt good to shake off the cob webs and head out to PA's lounge to see the much-heralded up-and-comers Adam Arcuragi and the Lupine Chorale Society last Friday night. It felt so good that I didn't even question why they were playing PA's Lounge. [...]
Laura Gibson sang to friendly faces at home in Portland Friday night. Cozy, be-balconied Mississippi Studios played a lovely host - I spied from on high as Mike Midlo , Breathe Owl Breathe , and Gibson played in the spotlight (for the second time that night). A real treat of an evening: little known opener turn out to be gems, songs I hope will be played sound even better live. Growing up in Northeast Portland, we had neighborhood pancake breakfasts in The Madeline School parking lot each summer. The grocer from [...]
There is no way in hell a group of obsessive music fans are going to completely agree on their top 20 list. It's just not possible. You can get pretty close, and that's what we do every year, but never all the way. melophobe has a go-to remedy, though, that seems to soothe any natural discontent. It's called the melophobe mutiny, and for the third year running, it is what our contributors use as an excuse to throw as much venom as they can at any album that they can't stand. I think it's safe to say, it's also most [...]
On New Years Eve, Radiation City are covering Outkast's Love Below . Let it sink it in. Now slowly let out a "hell yeah." That record is so wacked out that any attempt to replicate the treasures that Three Stacks built into it should end in something that is worth anyone's time. Want to go? You can get tickets by clicking here . Doors are at 8, show is at 9, and the rest of the bill includes Nurses (headliner), Wild Ones and DJ Beyonda. Mount up, and put your freak flag on standby. This one is probably [...]
After a year of sharing and discussing new music, melophobe’s contributors reached some form of groupthink or shared aesthetic—at least half of our contributors voted for our top five albums, and those albums significantly surpassed the remaining fifteen. We also had our closest finish to-date, with our #1 album beating out #2 by two points. [Perhaps if our #2 artist paid attention to how our #1 artist transitions songs, it would’ve won.] It’s no surprise that most of these artists also played some of our favorite tours this year. In fact, contributors in Seattle, Portland, and Boston all considered our [...]
Recently, there's been been a general lament on the state of hip-hop. Although issuing a few standouts , recent years have done little to assuage this concern. 2011 has been different. Nearly a dozen records that would have easily appeared on lists past did not make this year's final cut. Below are the ten that did. The Roots: Undun [...]
A small splash was made in the media when Mos Def --one-third of Black Star along with fellow front man Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek --announced that he was changing his name to Yasiin Bey . Over the years he has been known by many names and titles--Dante, Flacco, Mos and more--but the purpose of his name change, inspired by the Qur'an , was to erase the separation between performance and personal identity. As Yasiin told MTV, "[I don't want] to deal [any more] with having any moniker or separation between the [...]
A small splash was made in the media when Mos Def --one-third of Black Star along with fellow front man Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek --announced that he was changing his name to Yasiin Bey . Over the years he has been known by many names and titles--Dante, Flacco, Mos and more--but the purpose of his name change, inspired by the Qur'an , was to erase the separation between performance and personal identity. As Yasiin told MTV, "[I don't want] to deal [any more] with having any moniker or separation between the [...]
Have me mentioned that we love The Joy Formidable ? Ah, yes. A million times . Ritzy Bryan and company's intense performances always leave us reeling, and Saturday night at the Crystal Ballroom was no exception. Check out Justin Kent's photos above. DOWNLOAD: The Joy Formidable - (MP3)
I wonder if an antipodean version of this list would be quite so . . . sad. Could the typical December day in Seattle—a cold, dampish blanket of low stratus clouds—have an undue effect on these rankings, quashing any hope of an uptempo, disco-drenched #1? Let’s consult the record: 2007 : The Field - From Here We Go Sublime This we can forgive. That album is fucking amazing. 2008: N/A Bye year. [Though if you put a time-traveling gun to my head, Flying [...]
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