grandeur apparente // apparent magnitude

Roger Waters - 8 November 2010

2011-05-26T04:57:00.003-04:00

Wells Fargo Center (formerly Wacovia Center), Philadelphia, PA

I had seen a Flyers match here, as well as The Music of Star Wars with C-3PO's (Anthony Daniel's) annoying narration (why I didn't review that, I have no idea). Neither of these events prepared me for this show in this massive venue. On the first of three nights (!) of the tour's Philly stop, we were in the seats directly across from the stage, which was a fair distance. That distance was necessary to see the whole show.

Now to set things up, I grew up with my dad telling me how great Pink Floyd was live when he saw The Wall in 1981(?). He said it was the best show he had ever seen. I now know why. Over six months later, I still have not gone to another concert because NOTHING will ever be this amazing. I should also note that I went with my parents and the friends my dad went with when he saw Pink Floyd. I believe their amazement and excitement for this event far exceeded mine.

I doubt that there is anything that needs to be said about the music other than it was spot on. The visuals, however, I lack the words to do them justice. The building of the wall, the plane crashing, the puppets, the tearing down of the wall...I can't even bring myself to attempt to describe this.

I cannot wait until I get to see the video of the concert in London that was essentially a Pink Floyd reunion. My concert-going experiences will never be the same.

Jimmy Eat World - 11 October 2010

2011-05-26T04:29:00.002-04:00

Radio 104.5 Studio Session and Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Openers: We Were Promised Jetpacks

This tour followed the release of their album Invented (2010) and was on the heals of their Clarity X 10 tour in 2009. I adore Jimmy Eat World, but I knew only special circumstances would make this show just about as good as the Clarity show because Clarity (1999) contains my favorite song: For Me This Is Heaven.

Through Radio 104.5 I somehow miraculously won tickets to an acoustic studio session which included a brief chance to meet the band (during which I nervously told them I adored their music and thanked them profusely for coming...they signed my copy of Clarity! I don't usually get that kind of nervous excitement, but I remember the exact situation I was in when I first heard one of their songs. In short, I have an affinity for their music.). They played a few songs acoustically that were broadcast over the radio, "My Best Theory" (Invented), "Work" (Futures 2004), and of course "Middle" (Bleed American 2001). Afterwards they played another song or two for the studio listeners, including "Coffee and Cigarettes" (Invented), as they had the female vocalist on tour with them.

As for the Electric Factory show, I caught the tail end of We Were Promised Jetpacks. I was pleased that they sounded better than their recordings. However, it was all about Jimmy Eat World. The only unfortunate part of the set was that they played every song they had played in the afternoon again. I know it was no longer acoustic, but I would have liked more variety.

I have to say that the song that really stole the show for me this time was "Sweetness" (Bleed American). Remember how I said that I remember the first time I heard Jimmy Eat World? The song was "Sweetness".

LCD Soundsystem - 24 September 2010

2011-05-26T03:45:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA

I know nothing of LCD Soundsystem. There, I said it. I had heard some albums from different eras of their career, but I wouldn't be able to tell you album names or track titles. That's just the way it is. That doesn't mean that I didn't like the show.

It was a fun time, except the hour-long wait to get into the venue long enough after the show started that I believe we missed both opening acts and entered to the Making Time DJs playing in between sets.

The crowd was absolutely ridiculous. We had a space near the stage initially, which I had to leave because of the people pushing and pogoing around me. That is not fun when you're half the size of everyone looking to push and shove. Back further people were just dancing to the music---much more tame, but just as lively. I have to mention that at no point in all of this could I see anything on the stage. I have no idea what was going on. I could only hear the music, which was all that was necessary. The whole thing was exactly like being at a club...but with really, really good DJs---as in exceptional DJs---and decent lighting.

Lovedrug - 29 August 2010

2011-05-26T03:12:00.003-04:00

Folklore Coffee, Elizabethtown, PA

Openers: The Historic, The Branches, Mike Mains (honestly I don't remember anything of any of these)

Still promoting their set of EPs, Lovedrug hit south-central PA again. They changed venues this time (much to my dismay because this was further away). This was similar to the other Lovedrug shows except that they played in a coffeehouse and were the "headliners".

This was the fourth, yes fourth, show that I saw them in support of the EPs, but still only Part I and Part II. Part III was released later in 2010 after the band had decided to move to Nashville to record the album. Moving away from your major fanbase when writing new songs isn't a move I would have thought profitable, but it remains to be seen if Nashville helps get them attention.

Anyway, as with all of the others, they played a whole slew of good songs spanning their career, concentrating on the newer material. Where it seems fans can't get enough of "Spiders" (Pretend You're Alive 2004), I would much rather hear them play other songs from that era more...maybe "Blackout" because there's a certain passion they have when playing it.

Counting Crows//Augustana - 6 August 2010

2011-05-26T02:01:00.002-04:00

Musikfest's RiverPlace Stage, Bethlehem, PA

Openers: NOTAR

This was an unconventional show, the format of which I only found out briefly before the show. Counting Crows and Augustana were to play each band's songs...together. NOTAR, a really sorry excuse for a rapper, was interspersed but didn't really contribute to the larger picture nor did the other frontmen contribute when he had center stage. There was really no point for NOTAR other than giving both bands a break, as far as I could tell.

Augustana have this ability to sound like the other bands with which they are playing (The Wallflowers/Augustana), so not surprisingly, they fit right in with Counting Crows. The only problem I had with this show was that most of the songs played were singles. I completely understood why: those there for Counting Crows probably wouldn't know Augustana's songs. Unfortunately, that meant that "Boston" (Augustana's All the Stars and Boulevards 2005) had to be played. The rest of their songs are so much better than the version of this song that so many people know. In the end, the major showcase was running through Counting Crows' greatest hits. Although the setlist could have been more interesting, the concept of the bands playing together was worthwhile...it just takes bands with similar enough sounds so something doesn't stand out as glaring in an audience member's mind (NOTAR).

The Arcade Fire - 2 August 2010

2011-05-26T01:04:00.000-04:00

The Mann Music Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Opener: Spoon

I am not a Spoon fan, so I'm just going to say they weren't bad...but the certainly weren't The Arcade Fire. The Arcade Fire obviously concentrated most of their effort on The Suburbs, which came out the next day. Oddly, everyone else seemed to know every single word to the new songs. There's some sarcasm there.

At the time, I wasn't too impressed by The Suburbs, but it has grown on me. I wish I had known the songs during this set. The songs that stuck out the most to me were "We Used to Wait", "Ready to Start", and "Modern Man". I wasn't impressed by "Modern Man" even though the live version had far more energy than the recorded one. In fact, all of the songs off of The Suburbs had more energy that night.

Additionally, there were tracks off of Funeral (2004) and Neon Bible (2007). A highlight was "Intervention" (Neon Bible)...without the organ. I was also pleased to hear a few of the "Neighborhood" songs off of Funeral.

For most of the set, I was extremely distracted by the string players that were barely heard (may have been due to my position in the crowd or the outdoor setting). The violinist was a multi-instrumentalist and was quite good. The violist was not so great. Half of the time she looked lost and not enjoying the music. It was unfortunate because playing viola in a rock band is probably one of the few things that would make me give up astrophysics; I would like those in that position to at least make it look cool.

Passion Pit - 27 June 2010

2011-05-22T20:00:00.003-04:00

The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Openers: Tokyo Police Club, BRAHMS

BRAHMS were a nice electronic band that fit in well with Passion Pit. Tokyo Police Club was not as enjoyable so I walked around the Mann Center, which is a lovely venue. I had seen Tokyo Police Club open for Angels & Airwaves and Weezer in September 2008 at the Susquehanna Bank Center. That show was before the days of this blog, and it's probably for the best because I did not enjoy that show. I was saddened that Weezer didn't live up to the expectations I had from seeing them six years before. But back to the show at hand!

Passion Pit were a new obsession of mine at this point. They were absolutely amazing. There was a little voice cracking here and there, but that man goes so high, I wasn't put off by it. It was also ridiculously hot and humid. I was in the third row behind a small pit and it was a sticky night to begin with. Passion Pit were straining in the outdoor venue. They pulled off some amazing songs from their 2009 release Manners. Favorites were "Sleepyhead" and "Moth's Wings". It was great show, and I think everyone in the crowd enjoyed it. There is rarely that much energy from a crowd at a show. It was impressive!

Lovedrug - 26 June 2010

2011-05-22T19:53:00.005-04:00

Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA

Openers: Symphony of Sound, Yesterday Is Waiting

Much like any other Lovedrug show, I think it was fantastic. Lovedrug are great performers and musicians. This show was in celebration of the release of their second of three in their series of EPs leading up to an LP. Naturally, this show featured pretty much all of the songs off of EP - Part II (2010) and my much beloved "Pink Champange" from EP - Part I (2010).

The annoy part of this show is that Lovedrug were not the headliners, but some local band called Kingsfoil. I wasn't impressed and left before the end of their set. I was also less than impressed with whichever of Symphony of Sound and Yesterday Is Waiting when I arrived late. If they said their name, it was garbled.

Broken Bells - 6 June 2010

2010-08-30T22:21:00.003-04:00

Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Opener: The Morning Benders

Yet another misplaced opening act, The Morning Benders were not a band that kept my attention. At all. Broken Bells, however, got undivided attention as they ran through their whole one album (Broken Bells 2010). Because the album didn't fill a set, there were covers thrown into the mix.

A note on the venue, it seems quite rare that a band with only one album would be playing such a big venue, but we all know that it's because of who the two founding members are (the singer of The Shins and Danger Mouse, who were both quite aloof during this performance). That being said, I would guess that this is why the place was packed.

There was nothing exceptional about this show beyond the utter precision with which every note was played. That being said, almost every song (including my personal favorite, "Vaporize") sounded just like it was straight off of a recording, which doesn't make the best of concerts. However, the musicianship is incredible regardless of it being live or a recording.

The National - 5 June 2010

2010-08-30T21:52:00.005-04:00

Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Opener: The Antlers

As promised in my review of the Editors a few months ago, I was late to this show in order to avoid The Antlers. That being said, I will move right along to The National...

I have just recently gotten into this band. I regret not having listened to them extensively before. In short, The National were amazing. I was particularly taken by the violist (just the fact that they have a violist hints at why I can't get enough of them). The show consisted of just about everything off of Alligator (2006) and their latest disc High Violet (2010, highlight: "Conversation 16"). Naturally, my favorite song of theirs is on Alligator and was the essentially one song off of that album they didn't play ("Friend of Mine").

This was second of two consecutive nights that The National played at the Electric Factory. After seeing this show it is blatantly obvious why they stayed in Philly for an extra night. Anyone moderately interested in The National's music would benefit from seeing them live.

Matt Pond PA - 4 June 2010

2010-08-30T21:52:00.000-04:00

First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA

Opener: Wintersleep

Wintersleep weren't memorable except in that they weren't awful. Most of the downtime of this show was spent standing outside as it was ~90°F (~32°C) and at least 10° (in whichever system you like) hotter inside. As a result, Wintersleep was only heard from afar.

Matt Pond PA was disappointing, and I don't think it was just the heat. I saw Matt Pond PA play on South Street in Philly about six years ago and he and his group of musicians were phenomenal. Naturally, the now lack of a cello really drives their sound to nothing spectacular. This show was so uninspiring, I spent most of the set outside until I hear the opening of "Fairlee" (Nature of Maps 2002), which was probably the oldest song played.

After relocating from Philly and leaving behind his whole band, Matt Pond really needs to just change the band's name to Matt Pond NY because it is nothing like the Matt Pond PA of the past.

Of Montreal - 29 May 2010

2010-08-25T22:06:00.001-04:00

Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Opener: Noot d'Noot

I have never seen so many people dancing to and enjoying an opening band before seeing Noot d'Noot. They played a fusion of just about every genre you can name (and a ton that you probably couldn't). There isn't too much to say about them because their sound was not well-balanced. The singers were hardly audible above the cacophony surrounding them.

Of Montreal played a disappointing set for anyone who claims Satanic Panic in the Attic (2004), as I do. Most of their set consisted of new songs and bonus tracks from old albums, which meant that there were very few songs that I recognized. That's not to say that it was a bad time. The energy in the venue was amazing, but by the end of their set the air was stifling and filled with sweat and smoke.

The stage show, which they called "Nitro's Art Show" added to one of the countless things to watch during this event. One never knew quite which part of the stage to watch. This is definitely an act to see at the very least for their stage antics (the well-composed music is a huge plus, too).

Lovedrug - 7 May 2010

2010-06-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

The Note, West Chester, PA

Opener: Metropolis

Lovedrug were the second of two openers for Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders. Naturally, I left after Lovedrug because I have a habit of doing this (as evidenced in a previous Lovedrug show review: May 2009).

Metropolis was absolutely terrible, and I would advise against seeing them. Their songs were not bad musically, but a train wreck lyrically. In addition to having tragically cheesy lyrics, the singer mimed pretty much every word he said. Sometimes props were involved...like a heart-shaped box for chocolates (empty, which, of course, also signified something that had to be exaggerated). I really wish I were kidding; this is why I assert that a lead singer should never just be a singer. Teach him a few chords or give him a tambourine so he looks less awkward. In between songs, as often as he could, he welcomed us into the "Hospital for Regrets and Dreams", which apparently is what their album is called. I feel bad for being so negative, but they have a long way to go to make their live show less gimmicky and distracting.

As for Lovedrug, they were far better than they were last time when I was so disappointed at the Chameleon Club because they sounded exactly like their albums. They were back to having fun with the music and being creative. Since they were not headlining, I was one of very few people who seemed to know every song. This is strange because The Note and Chameleon Club aren't that far apart, but I still seem to be one of a very small number of people who go to all of their PA shows.

Naturally, not enough songs were played. Shockingly, "Dead in the Water" off of their then-forthcoming EP - Part II (2010) was not played, which seemed to have been a good choice as it was the only song they played off of this EP at previous shows. "Animal Woman" and "Miss California" were the Part II tracks that got exposure. Otherwise, there was a small smattering of songs from various albums. The only song that people seemed to know was "Blackout" (Pretend You're Alive, 2004), which is consistent. I'm holding out hope hearing/seeing "Unlucky", one of the bonus tracks off of EP - Part I (2010).

The Ataris - 9 March 2010

2010-06-18T20:43:00.003-04:00

Crocodile Rock Café, Allentown, PA

Openers: Third Time's A Charm, a bunch of others

I have no specifics on most of the horde of bands that opened for The Ataris. It was something like five bands, and Crocodile Rock only advertised two or three...as usual. In any case, the first band was Chicago's Third Time's A Charm. Unfortunately, they were the single good opener, and the only one I didn't see. It was tragic. However, they were nice guys, their CD was cheap, and they came all the way from Chicago to play such a horrible slot, so their CD was purchased. It is great (although it can't currently be located, which is just as tragic as missing their set). I was utterly shocked because opening bands at this venue usually are awful.

I have a few praises for The Ataris. For one thing, they insisted that they sound right. Never has a band sounded so good in this awful venue. Even more in their favor is that they weren't even playing the main stage. Their insistence to sound perfect made the sound engineer annoyed, and he retaliated by cutting their set short. The Ataris were as catchy and as passionate as ever, which was fantastic until I thought about the songs a bit more. The singer is in his thirties. He was singing about teenage angst and such. I don't quite understand because he's a good song writer, but he only seems to play the songs that he wrote years and years ago. It was awkward. Although temporally out of place, they are a good band and worth seeing. I just wish they'd write new stuff and grow up.

Editors - 20 February 2010

2010-03-31T04:41:00.000-04:00

Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA

Openers: The Antlers, The Dig

The Dig suited the new side of Editors well. They hit the 1980s vibe right on the nose. Other than that, they were unimpressive. Neither were The Antlers who are opening for The National in June (I'll be showing up late to that one).

I first saw Editors in early 2008 at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. I must note that that show had a very young crowd, as it was just off of OSU's campus, but this show made me feel young. At that Columbus show Editors were preceded by Hot Hot Heat (whom I love) and Louis XIV (whom I think are terrible). Ignoring Louis XIV, the show was phenomenal. Hot Hot Heat had the crowed excited and singing along. Editors the proceeded to blow everyone away. It was an impressive show. This was not.

Editors were boring and played right off of the album. If I wanted to listen to the album as it is, I would just put in my CD. Every single song was identical and unimaginative. This show was so bad, I left before the end of the set (even before there was any break for an encore!). None of the songs stood out. After this show, I would recommend just listening to the album. I'm so disgusted, I probably wouldn't even recommend that.

Lovedrug - 30 January 2010

2010-03-27T04:26:00.003-04:00

Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA

Openers: Kheris, Cinder Hil

When I walked in two guys were playing that sounded more put together than the other opening bands. I have no idea who they were as they weren't on the bill and they didn't say their name in a comprehensible manner. Cinder Hil and Kheris were both tragic. I won't dwell.

Lovedrug. I adore them (as evidenced here and here). I am so disappointed to say that this show was far worse than any other time that I have seen them. They played straight from the albums! It broke my heart (but not enough that I won't go to see them again). Shockingly, there were far more audience members than in the previous two shows combined, which they also headlined. They played the typical crowd favorites ("Spiders" and "Blackout" from Pretend You're Alive (2004) and "Doomsday & the Echo" Everything Starts Where it Ends (2007)), as well as unimpressive versions of other songs. The night was saved by their new songs, especially "Pink Champange". After hearing recordings of the new pieces I found that they were also identical, but I wasn't aware of that at the time.

I will still go to see Lovedrug next time they come to the area, but I certainly hope they enjoy what they're doing more next time and get creative as they have been in the past. Don't get me wrong, this set was well-played; it just lacked a lot of the thought and talent I've gotten used to hearing from them.

Best and Worst Shows of 2009

2010-03-27T04:11:00.002-04:00

Now that I have finally finished reviewing all of the shows I saw in 2009, I feel the need to rank the top three, best and worst.

Best:
1. Jimmy Eat World
2. The Decemberists
3. Lovedrug

Worst:
1. Gin Blossoms
2. Brand New
3. Death Cab for Cutie

Rooney - 14 December 2009

2010-03-27T03:37:00.003-04:00

The Note, West Chester, PA

Openers: Tally Hall, Crash Kings

I remember little of Crash Kings. It's fortunate because what I do remember is that their not-so-great guitarist saw the show as more of a way to show off his tight shiny pants and his stuck-in-the-eighties look. I have Tally Hall's emblazoned in my mind: a not-so-blatantly-religious-Relient K knock-off. Seriously. Some thought they were catchy. I thought they were annoying.

Rooney came on stage with their personalized take on the California flag waving high (they gave the flag to a fan, who didn't quite understand that flags are meant to be waved). I had wanted to see Rooney since the first time I heard "Blueside" (Rooney, 2003). I was pleased that they didn't play everything as is on the albums. They played the some of their best stuff ("If It Were Up to Me", "Sorry, Sorry" (both off of Rooney) and "Should've Been After You" (Calling the World, 2007)), as well as some new pieces that I just found out were released in February as mp3s. None of the new songs really stuck with me, but I remember not being at all impressed with "Wild One".

Overall, this show was about on par with what I expected: bad local bands and a headliner trying to make a comeback with new songs (including some that disappointed), but playing creative renditions of their older, well-loved songs.

Dashboard Confessional - 12 December 2009

2010-03-27T03:35:00.001-04:00

Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA

Opener: New Found Glory

Despite New Found Glory's token whine, they were shockingly quite good in acoustic form. They had a lot of energy and adapted their songs into viable acoustic versions. They were significantly better than when I saw them in 2006 at Ohio Wesleyan's SpringFest. In this set, they played of all of their hit songs including "My Friends Over You" (Sticks and Stones, 2002), which was exceptionally fun and energetic.

A long time ago (2003), I saw Dashboard Confessional follow Sparta when both opened for Weezer. I was not a fan. I grew up, and Dashboard Confessional grew on me.

This acoustic set was phenomenal. Chris Carrabba has an amazing voice (that I no longer think is a whine). I am absolutely addicted to Alter the Ending (2009), but only the acoustic versions of the songs (disk two of the "deluxe" edition). Dashboard Confessional needs to stick with the acoustic side of music. The guitars, pianos, and strings compliment the voice so much better than the electric guitars and drums. The electric version of Alter the Ending was a waste of money. The sentiments in the songs are so much more heart-felt in acoustic form, which is why Dashboard Confessional acoustic live is utterly fantastic. Not only did they play most of Alter the Ending (highlights: "Until Morning" and "Everybody Learns from Disaster"), but there was a smattering of songs from all previous albums. One of the best songs of the evening was undoubtedly "Vindicated" (2004), for which the whole audience sang along.

This event was just how Dashboard Confessional should be heard: acoustic, live, and with an audience chorus. Fantastic.

Brand New - 14 November 2009

2010-02-15T23:33:00.002-05:00

Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Opener: Crime in Stereo and Thrice

This series of long-delayed reviews are really hard to write; I'm learning my lesson. That being said: I am hard-pressed to find any thing relevant to say about Crime in Stereo's or Thrice's set. There was a lot of screaming the whole show. I've had The Artist in the Ambulance since it came out in 2003, and I have no other albums from Thrice (and I'd never heard of Crime in Stereo before this). Not surprisingly, I didn't know most of the songs. I doubt I would have recognized them anyway as there were songs I know I'd heard, but couldn't figure out which songs they were.

I got Brand New's latest album Daisy (2009) a few days before this show. I was so excited because Déjà Entendu (2003) and The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me (2006) are amazing albums. After the introduction on Daisy's first track ("Vices"), I was floored. Brand New seemed to have given up singing in favor of screaming. No. This can't be right. I refused to believe it. There are some (few) fantastic tracks on the album, but I (still) can't get over the incessant screaming. I was even more disappointed when they screamed their way through an entire set. This new side of Brand New was not too offensive live on "You Won't Know" (The Devil and God...) and "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" (Déjà Entendu), but more singing would have made the night. In the end, Daisy's "At the Bottom" was the show-stealer, but it wasn't a very impressive theft. I had such high hopes. The only perk was that Brand New played for well over and hour and a half hitting songs from all of their albums. If you've read more than a few of my reviews, you know that I'm a fan of bands that change up their songs at live shows. I commend Brand New for trying something different, but if their fans wanted to listen to bands that scream, they wouldn't look to Brand New.

Snow Patrol - 26 September 2009

2010-02-15T11:12:00.000-05:00

Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

A Hundred Million Suns tour
Opener: Plain White T's

The Plain White T's were energetic, fun, and exciting to watch. They have a great stage presence and made everyone in the audience know that they have catchy songs. "Hate (I Really Don't Like You)" (Every Second Counts 2006) is a curious song: it's extremely well done--painfully catchy--but with atrociously trite lyrics. I find that a lot of their songs are like that, but nearly as painful as The Maine. They won over the crowd with an acoustic and beautiful rendition of "Hey There Delilah" (single, 2007) before giving up the stage.

There's something to be said about a band that knows how to take advantage of projection equipment in order to divulge their love to the city (see image to the right). I don't recall this being the background for "Take Back the City" (A Hundred Million Suns, 2008), unfortunately.

In the first three songs they had already played "Chocolate" (Final Straw, 2004) and "Hands Open" (Eyes Open, 2006), which made some of the songs after pale in comparison. The second half of the set was full of singles: "Run" (Final Straw), "Open Your Eyes" (Eyes Open), etc.

Before the show I had the thought of "It would be awesome if they did 'The Lightning Strike' (A Hundred Million Suns) as the encore!". What do you know? I was right. It was utterly fantastic. For unknown reasons, they ended the encore with "You're All I Have" (Eyes Open), which was a letdown. Overlooking their poor decision to end with something other than their epic, three-part beauty, I want to note that "The Lightning Strike" was where they projected the best animation. They had origami stars floating around behind them following along with the changing mood of the song. Naturally, I rather enjoyed this as I study stars and have done some space origami. I still think this would have been the best way to end the show, but I don't write the setlists.

Rhett Miller - 18 September 2009

2010-01-27T18:12:00.000-05:00

World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA

Opener: Jim Ward

Jim Ward has been my favorite singer since I first heard him in all of his singing glory in Sparta when they opened for Dashboard Confessional and Weezer way back in 2002. I have since seen him with Sparta on a tour with Glassjaw in 2003 and with Lovedrug in 2007 (the show referenced here). Then I found out that he was working on Sleepercar and solo stuff. To say the least, I was excited when I found out about this one.

World Café Live has to be one of the most comfortable places to see a show in Philadelphia. They have seemingly low-key events occurring simultaneously on two stages. They also serve delicious food and potent drinks, although parking is sorely lacking.

Ward played to a crowd who didn't know who he was (for the most part). He did fantastic renditions of works off of his two solo EPs (Quiet (2008) and In the Valley, On the Shores (2009)), including "My Town". A number of Sparta songs were played, too, but the best song was off of Sleepercar's West Texas (2008)---"Wednesday Nights" (a personal favorite).

I stayed for a bit of Rhett Miller's set, but I doubted that the show could get any better. Miller was lively and well-loved, but I didn't find his set as enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the length of time between seeing this show and writing this has caused me to remember less of what was actually played (with the exception of a few songs and more of the feeling of being at the show and the overall performance.

Our Lady Peace - 16 September 2009

2009-10-07T12:32:00.000-04:00

Crocodile Rock Café, Allentown, PA

Openers: Inward Eye, Paper Tongues, Ajar

Despite my best efforts to miss at least one low-quality-Croc-Rock opener, I ended up seeing all three. I missed most of Inward Eye. I have no distinct memories of Ajar. Paper Tongues stood out enough because of their packed stage and singer who kept jumping around in his Revolutionary-War-era garb. They had some catchy songs and were fans of shameless self-promotion.

Not surprisingly, Our Lady Peace were good if you knew their songs. They played a song that I didn't know, and I couldn't make out the words for anything.

Now, to explain the "not surprisingly" comment. Since I like to place blame on such situations, I place all of the blame on Croc Rock. I have seen so many bands there and then at another venue and the shows just sound awful at Croc Rock. Unfortunately, this is the only venue of it's size in the Lehigh Valley. I really like nothing about this place except that it is within the Lehigh Valley. Everything else about it is awful...overpriced, crowded, dirty, unsafe, inept sound technicians, etc. I really could go on with that list for some time.

Anyway, Our Lady Peace put up a fight against Croc Rock by delivering a show packed with old singles (name an OLP single and it was more than likely played) and new material off of Burn, Burn (2009; roughly half of the album). I think that the only single that they missed was "One Man Army" (Happiness Is Not a Fish You Can Catch, 1999). Highlights include "Clumsy" (Clumsy, 1997) and the set-ending "All You Did Was Save My Life" (Burn, Burn). After the final song, they went straight into their encore after the set ended, claiming there to be no need to depart and then return. However, they graced the crowd with a second encore before which they did leave the stage. Aside from just their own songs, one of the encores included a short MGMT tangent.

Because of the poor sound quality, this show didn't stand out too much without knowing the songs. If anything, the concert cemented how awful of a venue Crocodile Rock Café is; there really was no ill reflection upon Our Lady Peace because they had all of the elements of a good show there...except the venue.

Gin Blossoms - 23 July 2009

2009-10-07T12:24:00.002-04:00

Penn's Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA

Openers: The Five Percent

I saw about the same amount of The Five Percent when they were one of the million openers for Eve 6 a few months prior: enough. They are typical of a local band: nothing too impressive, but not as terrible as most tend to be. This time I figured I'd at least mention them.

This review has taken forever to be written because it is so hard for me to admit that the Gin Blossoms were awful. It is hard to say who is to blame for this because there seemed to be some internal band bickering and disagreements with the sound technicians. That being said, not only did the band seem displeased to be playing, but they just sounded awful. The levels were too high all across the frequency spectrum, which created a muddled mess. I'm told not to blame Pike's Peak for this because their sound is usually good (I can't say for certain). I'm also told that the band have been tight and solid on previous tours.

After playing most of their compilation album, Outside Looking In: The Best of Gin Blossoms (1999), I think they played a few songs off of Major Lodge Victory (2006), but everything was such a confusion of sound (I can't bring myself to use 'cacophony' because this set doesn't deserve such exquisite, precise words) that I couldn't tell which songs were which unless I knew the entire song.

Even though it was nice to finally hear "Hey Jealousy" (New Miserable Experience, 1992) and a few others live, no matter how poorly they were done, I left extremely glad that they had not destroyed "Not Only Numb" (Congratulations...I'm Sorry, 1996). In the end, I can't decide if I'd give them another chance live.

The Wallflowers - 2 July 2009

2009-07-31T22:17:00.000-04:00

Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA

Opener: Augustana

I will admit that I went to this show for Augustana, just as I had gone to a OneRepublic show in November (my comments) for them. I was pleased to see that the audience received them extremely well (they sold out of all of their CDs, which was probably do what they did to their sound. I'll come to that shortly.).

I've acclaimed Augustana's musical talents before; I will do it again. Almost every song that they played was infused with Wallflowers-esque beats and chords. They changed their songs to honor The Wallflowers, and it was incredible. I believe that is why they sold all of their albums that night. Naturally, "Boston" (All the Stars and Boulevards, 2005) was played in the style of Augustana. It was also rushed through, which was fine since they undoubtedly have to play that one every night.

"Sweet and Low" (Can't Love, Can't Hurt, 2008) was an acoustic treat, again. Thankfully this crowd settled down and was quiet while the band played without amplification. In their short set, they managed to play some incredible pieces from Can't Love, Can't Hurt, including "Meet You There" and "Fire", which stole the show for me.

To end, they covered Muddy Waters' "I Just Want to Make Love to You", which was a pleasure to experience. As usual, Augustana didn't play long enough, but every minute was amazing.

The Wallflowers had significantly less energy, and the show was obviously all about Jakob Dylan. I can't say that I know a lot about The Wallflowers. I have a significant portion of their catalog, but nothing really stands out to me as much as the singles, "Sleepwalker" (Breach, 2000) the most. I was pleased to hear an array of softer songs spanning their career, which was reportedly done because the soft songs sounded so fantastic in the Keswick Theatre. Aside from "Sleepwalker", the token singles of The Wallflowers were performed: "One Headlight" and "Three Marlenas" (Bringing Down the Horse, 1996). After "One Headlight" about a sixth of the audience vacated. Another large chunk left before the encore.

I'm afraid that I can't say too many specifics about The Wallflowers because I'm not as educated in their music, but it was not a bad show at all. They were not as lively as Augustana, but they were extremely talented (and it showed!).

The Fray - 24 June 2009

2009-07-21T12:03:00.000-04:00

Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ

Opener: Jack's Mannequin

When the frontman of Jack's Mannequin was in Something Corporate, I attended a show they played with Story of the Year (2004). I'll admit I know no songs by Jack's Mannequin and only one or two by Something Corporate. Both bands bored me. The frontman plays piano, but the lines he plays are nothing special. He is more about the theatrics of jumping around on the piano than on exploiting the beauty of the instrument. They are a disappointment for all of their hype. The lyrics are trite and very tired. I suppose the shallow lyrics about love are what appeal to the shockingly young audience. A surprisingly large portion of the attendees left with their mothers after Jack's Mannequin parted from the stage.

The Fray took the stage and started things off with part of "Happiness" (The Fray, 2009). This seemed more appropriate to end with, which is probably partially due to the fact that it is the last song on the album. It turned out that The Fray went off the stage at the end of the encore with this, too, which seemed more appropriate.

The band sounded great in the large venue. I saw Weezer there last year, and that was probably the most disappointing show of 2008. The main difference was that the venue was closed with no lawn section for Weezer. The sound is significantly better with the back of the venue open.

During the show, there was mention of how hard it is for The Fray to play their songs night after night because of how much emotion is behind them. Disappointingly, only the background story to "How to Save a Life" (How to Save a Life, 2005) was given.

The placement of "Little House" (How to Save a Life) followed by "We Build Then We Break" (The Fray) after a few slower songs was a genius move to get patrons out of their seats and into the music. Unfortunately, hardly anyone enjoyed the songs, presumably because neither was a single. I wish I weren't serious, but I was standing in a crowd of people plastered to their seats and annoyed that I had the gall to stand. I was disappointed in the crowd's lack of energy and enthusiasm.

The encore started out with an astounding rendition of "Heaven Forbid" (How to Save a Life) with only voice and an acoustic guitar. That was followed by a Kanye West cover that the audience seemed to know better than The Fray's actual songs, which was disappointing. To end, the encore faded out with the end of "Happiness", picking up where the introduction ended.

Not surprisingly, The Fray did an incredible job with a show in such a large venue. When they catered to the crowd and played singles, the crowd was grateful. Unfortunately, the crowd didn't appreciate the non-single tracks as much, which were performed far better than the singles. The Fray have some huge singles, but the rest of their work should not be underrated and overlooked. For having only two full-length albums, they filled their time on stage well by being everything a fan could want.

Better Than Ezra - 17 June 2009

2009-06-25T16:26:00.003-04:00

Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA

Paper Empire Tour
Opener: Tyrone Wells

Tyrone Wells was a surprise. I thought I had no idea who he was, but I knew a few of his songs. "More" (Remain, 2009) is all over popular media (perhaps not all over, but I knew the song as soon as he hit the chorus). He opened with "In Between the Lines" (Remain), which took me automatically. His lyrics are creative, sincere, and worthwhile.

The dynamic between Wells and his band added to the show. He made a point to clear the air on the band being a band, not just a backing band. However, the band did stepped aside when Wells decided to demonstrate his yodeling skills. This alone made my attendance worthwhile.

Better Than Ezra took the stage with a replacement drummer and an extra guitarist. I had seen the band at the Trocadero when I was in high school on what was their Closer tour with American Hi-Fi and Adam Richman. I would place that actual tour in late 2003 or early 2004. This was a little different; the most prominent difference was the fact that the singer's voice was not a higher pitch than on the records this time. It actually bothered me enough the first time that I was disappointed with the show.

I opted to give them another chance as "Desperately Wanting" (Friction, Baby, 1996) is one of my favorite songs. I was pleasantly surprised that they played most of their singles: "Good", "In the Blood" (both from Deluxe, 1995) "Desperately Wanting", "King of New Orleans" (Friction, Baby), "At the Stars" (How Does Your Garden Grow?, 1998), "Extra Ordinary" (Closer, 2001), "A Lifetime", "Juicy" (both from Before the Robots, 2005), and "Absolutely Still" (Paper Empire, 2009).

The biggest disappointment was that only a few songs didn't fit into the subsets of singles, Paper Empire, or covers, most notably "Southern Thing" (Before the Robots) and "Sincerely, Me" (Closer). Better Than Ezra have a horde of amazing songs that don't make it into the "singles" subset. This also means that no songs off of Artifakt (2001) were played.

I'm not too big of a fan of the songs on Paper Empire after the first few tracks. Hearing the later tracks live made them more tolerable; this is probably because of aesthetics---the ridiculous lighting schemes---used. During "Nightclubbing", they used strobe lighting, and during "Black Light", they used black lights (No. Way.). It was wonderfully clichéd.

I will be the first to admit that the performance was fantastic, and I am just being overly critical. There really was no reason to complain, but there are some things that could have been improved (playing non-single songs!).

The Decemberists - 6 June 2009

2009-06-15T15:15:00.000-04:00

Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

A Short Fazed Hovel Tour
Opener: Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3

Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 were not worthy of opening for The Decemberists. The opening band is usually disappointing. I've only been surprised once: last November's show at the Electric Factory (my first review for this website!). Anyway, Robyn Hitchcock and his band of aging musicians were just disappointing. There was endless babbling of nonsense interspersed throughout the songs that sounded like they were trying to recall Davy Jones.

Let's just say they played for too long, and I'm bitter that later shows on the tour included Andrew Bird as an opener. I saw him a few months ago (before the start of this blog), and he was worthy of the title "musician".

For their part, The Decemberists played straight through The Hazards of Love (2009), which was the focus of this tour. The band was joined by two additional female singers to play the parts of the female roles in the epic story.

The first played a young bride. She seemed to need a few bars to get into the parts. She always seemed to have a crescendo that shouldn't have been necessary. However, her timidity was an odd combination with her interpretive dancing that joined the show when she wasn't singing or playing an instrument. When she was in the background with the other female (who played the forest queen), she was far weaker and unable to match the pitches appropriately. There were slight trembles in the harmonies.

The forest queen, played by the singer of My Brightest Diamond, was phenomenal. For her part in "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid", she gave me goosebumps. During "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing", I again received chills. She has a lot of power behind her voice, it was impressive (as were her silver leggings).

The best song of this set was "The Rake's Song". Naturally, Colin Meloy could not be shown up by another singer. He made this song unforgettable, although I didn't get chills.

The whole rendition of the album was seemingly flawless and completely absorbing.

After taking a short break, The Decemberists returned for a large handful of songs. I was a bit disappointed that a bunch of the songs that they played were the same ones that they played when they toured Philadelphia last November. These songs include "July, July!" (Castaways and Cutouts, 2002), "Chimbly Sweep" (Her Majesty, 2003), "O Valencia!", "Sons and Daughters" (both from The Crane Wife, 2006), and"Dracula's Daughter". Both "Chimbly Sweep" and "Dracula's Daughter" had the same exact introductions that they did a few months prior. I can't imagine that I was the only one at this show to note this.

An unexpected surprise here was "Shiny" (5 Songs, 2003), which was probably one of the last songs I expected to be played. "The Crane Wife 3" (The Crane Wife) was also quite enchanting. The real show-stealer here was a cover of "Crazy on You". The female singers came back out and the forest queen dominated. Both women sang, again the other hesitated in her abilities. When both were singing at their best, this was just an exceptional way to end the show (before the encore).

This show was everything one expected, only better (as usual). As the fifth Decemberists concert that I have experienced, I am continually amazed by how fantastic they are. However, they are not so good as to allow me to forget that they canceled their Long of It/Short of It tour (fall 2007), for which I had tickets to the Short of It portion. Maybe one day they'll decide to retry that endeavor. I can only hope.

The Shins - 17 May 2009

2009-05-25T18:13:00.000-04:00

Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ

Opener: Delta Spirit

I'm going to start this out by commenting how beautiful Wellmont Theatre is. It is extremely well kept and wonderfully old. I was also pleased that there was a section in the balcony to sit (unassigned) with general admission on the floor. The only problem is that the music was way too loud for the building. This may have been just because I was in the balcony and the speakers were pointed straight at the section, but it was a little overwhelming.

Delta Spirit opened the show with 45 minutes of talent. The players (most of them) rotated instruments frequently, and all seemed equally skilled. At one point three of the members were playing on various drums.

The singer seemed to be unable to decide on a style. He sounded like a mix between Butch Walker and Kurt Cobain; the former when he sang and the latter when he yelled. He was much better at the singing aspect. They played a solid set that ended with some monumental pounding on a huge drum that alone shook the theater (no amplification necessary).

The Shins only made us wait for about a half hour before opening with "Know Your Onion!" (Oh, Inverted World, 2001). The set was full of everyone's favorite Shins' song, including this one. Every song (of theirs) that they started was met with wild enthusiasm.

I put "of theirs" in parentheses because they threw in two covers, one of which they played twice. The second time, they mashed it up and pulled two fans on stage to play guitar. The fans had no idea what they were doing, but the experience probably made their day, if not month. I really enjoy watching bands play songs that they haven't written. There is some great excitement that it gives them.

A particularly powerful version of "Sea Legs" (Wincing the Night Away, 2007) was performed. It was intense and shockingly different (in the best of ways!) from the album version. The effects were all distorted and displayed creativity. "Fighting in a Sack" (Chutes Too Narrow, 2003) was also a winner in this set. This is one of those songs that just makes me want to do a silly little dance along with it. It was played with precision, although I can't recall hearing the harmonica part. This may have been the prizewinner, but so much was so good it's hard to choose.

The great songs played essentially encompassed the entire setlist. I was pleased to hear "New Slang" (Oh, Inverted World), but I think its placement in the encore was a bad move. It was reported to me that this happened at the Philadelphia show (Electric Factory) the night before, too. I think it and "Turning a Square" (Chutes Too Narrow) should have switched places. In the latter, the line "Have I left my home/just to whine on this microphone?" was met with a snicker by the singer. I find it appropriate to perform songs that have such commentary in them, but it seemed out of place as the fourth song in the set.

Personal favorites, aside from those already mentioned as amazing included "Those to Come" (Chutes Too Narrow), "Girl Inform Me", "Caring Is Creepy" (both from Oh, Inverted World), and "Australia" (Wincing the Night Away).

This was a spectacular show for energy and performance. The Shins songwriting skills are certainly something to pay attention to both recorded and live. I tend to have a high regard for most of the shows that I see, but I am actually very picky about which ones I do go to see. The positive review was not unexpected.

Lovedrug - 13 May 2009

2009-05-18T12:28:00.003-04:00

The Note, West Chester, PA

Truth be told, Lovedrug were the openers. I only stayed for them. I had no desire to see the Good Old War or Straylight Run (this isn't the first time I left before Straylight Run came on, either). The only disappointment was that Lovedrug only played seven songs, which isn't too bad for an opening act.

Even after having just seen Lovedrug in February (review), this show was not something I was willing to miss (especially since it had better sound). I also know that they played Crocodile Rock Café in Allentown a few days later, but I was not going to be around. Hopefully that show went well, too.

This set was not entirely different from the one in February, but there was a lack of anything off of Prentend You're Alive (2004). They made up for that by playing a new song, which I anticipate hearing again. The only song off of Everything Starts Where it Ends (2007) was "Castling", which was a good choice. Of their set, "Everyone Needs a Halo" and "Broken Home" were by far the best. I will admit I was excited to hear "Only One" again, as well as "Borrowed Legs" (all four from Sucker Punch Show, 2008).

All of the songs definitely had interesting live elements added into them (changing words, tempos, etc.), which is something I greatly anticipate with seeing a band live. Not surprisingly, I still promote looking into this band (recorded and live).

Eve 6 - 19 April 2009

2009-04-27T17:54:00.000-04:00

Tink's Entertainment Complex, Scranton, PA

Openers: The Silentreatment, Split Fifty

At least one other band played before my arrival. The first whole set that I saw was The Silentreatment. I was surprised that they weren't awful. I was won over by the second song. They were a good choice musically to play with Eve 6. They had just the right mixture of pop and rock. The frontman was charismatic and attentive to the audience. They had the best stage show of the night because of their energy. I recommend them live over recorded. Their first album (Sinful Acts of Audio, 2008) isn't anything special, and the sexually-tinged lyrics are over-emphasized on the album.

Then came Split Fifty. Years ago (2002), I saw Split Fifty with BigWig. Split Fifty used to be punk. I don't know what they are now aside from bad. As charismatic as The Silentreatment's lead singer is, by comparison, that is how annoying Split Fifty's lead singer happens to be. It was painful. They were trying to be what they think people wanted. They were overdone and need to strip away some of their hair gel and over-the-top instruments (The one guy whipped out this twelve stringed thing. Yes, "thing". It was no instrument I'd ever seen before. What was played on it could have been played far better on a piano.). I really have absolutely nothing good to say about them other than the fact that their set was short.

Eve 6: I get irrationally excited for them. You have to understand that I brought them to my undergraduate university last year sponsored by the campus radio station (my precious outlet from astrophysics and mathematics). If there is one single event from senior year that I never want to forget, then it's that. That show was so good, I'm including the picture of me ridiculously happy standing with them afterward. I'm the short one.

There is a significant amount of temptation to just compare the two shows. To some extent, I will do just that. However, the 2008 show is a lot to live up to since it was my first time seeing them and they were playing that show because of me. I got to spend a little bit of time with the band, which meant a lot. They genuinely appreciated the work of everyone involved that made that show possible.

Eve 6 acknowledges that they are not a band with which you can request songs to be played. It doesn't matter because they pick a good assortment of their best songs.

At both shows they played part of "Good Associate" (from The Sugi Tap's Digital EP, 2007) in the middle of "Inside Out" (Eve 6, 1998). Everyone in the audience both times enjoyed the extended version of the band's biggest hit. The final chorus after coming back from the tangent resulted in an excited havoc. Another highlight is "Red & Black" (Digital EP), which they claim to have only played live once or twice before. Another favorite was "Tongue Tied" (Eve 6), which commanded the audience for its duration of approximately three minutes.

Their long set included the likes of "On the Roof Again", "Rescue", "Promise" (all from Horrorscope, 2000), "Think Twice" (It's All in Your Head, 2003), and "Open Road Song" (Eve 6), among many others. Although a lot of their older songs have themes of what would be expected from a young adult male, they have this amazing song, "Friend of Mine" (It's All in Your Head), which I was thrilled they played. It has a lot more substance than some of their other songs ("Velociraptor", It's All in Your Head b-side). That doesn't mean I don't like their other stuff; "Friend of Mine" is a good, emotional change that was one of the last songs I expected to experience live.

One final song that I was thrilled to hear was "Little Tiny Everything" (Digital EP). This is, without doubt, one of my favorite songs of all time. I have a weakness for "On a red-eye flight away from you/I felt like I could die./You crashed into me like a comet/like some sort of a celestial force." These lines are so perfect in the eyes of someone that thinks astrophysical imagery is the best way to describe something beautiful, especially if it is spectacular and destructive.

Although I obviously enjoyed the show that was my doing more, I have nothing bad to say about Eve 6's performance here. I particularly enjoyed the seeming recognition of me by the band members...

This was a relatively low-key show that was memorable in it's own right. Eve 6 was so good, I can easily forget how awful Split Fifty was.

The Sane - Hush

2009-04-17T16:14:00.000-04:00

2007

I first heard of The Sane when I ran a campus radio station. Their demo, Later (2006), was sent to the station. I immediately loved them. Years later, I successfully located their LP, Hush, at only a small financial burden. There was a long stretch of time when I couldn't acquire it for some reason.

I will note that Later consists of five fantastic songs, only two of which are included on Hush. This is disappointing. Naturally, I wanted to hear new things, but the collection of songs on Hush, not surprisingly, got The Sane no exposure. Later is smart, witty, and sensitive. Hush is a jumble of words mixed in a questionably coherent and less-than-inventive fashion.

The album is front-loaded with heavier, upbeat songs that are speckled with airy falsettos which seem too vulnerable for the sound of the songs. "Ghost" and "Later" are included off of the previous EP. They probably weren't the best songs to pick, but at least there is something really good on this album.

A few of the songs are actually quite catchy even if the lyrics not too interesting. "Bad Dreams" isn't too bad overall. It does have the layered lyrics and vocals that I have a weakness for. "Chain Reaction" is a slight departure from the rest of the songs, which is interesting. It's a pithy little piece that is rough and strong in the middle of the album.

I have to give the band credit for not having everything sound exactly the same. They have a varying sound, and they don't overuse rich elements like string sections. However, this doesn't save the last half of the album from dragging (except for the aurally interesting "This Year").

Under the category of a bad track is "Mindreader". There is too much going on in this song. Cue the tasteless falsettos, cheesy effects, and poor lyrics. "As we sing empty metaphors" is actually a line. I'm just going to leave that one alone.

In the first track "New Year", The Sane purpose to make this the best day of the listener's life. A rescue is not likely with this song. However, they have something right: "Words are such dangerous things". Yes, if used improperly.

I'll just say I was disappointed. As highly as I'd recommend Later, that is about as emphatically as I'd attest that Hush is mediocre alternative rock. Later really is quite perfect; Hush seems too forced.

Death Cab for Cutie - 7 April 2009

2009-04-14T14:19:00.000-04:00

Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

The Open Door EP tour
Openers: Ra Ra Riot, Cold War Kids

It is usually the case that whenever I see players of acoustic four-stringed instruments on stage, I want to do that with my life (see review of Loch Lomond at the November Decemberists show I attended). Unfortunately, Ra Ra Riot disappointed me. They had an electric violin and an electric cello playing only chords. I usually don't have an aversion to these instruments; I've actually seen an amazing performance by an electric string quartet (Carpe Diem String Quartet). However, the Ra Ra Riot lines were just so boring. If they had been played on amplified acoustics, they at least would have contributed to some color to the sound. I wasn't excited by this band at all; nothing seemed to stand out about them.

The Cold War Kids played a set that didn't excite very much either. The first song set the tone of the rest. There was little change in the style of music throughout their set. All of the songs had similar rhythms and could very well have been in the same key. They did however, play better near the end. They seemed to be barely holding things together at the start, but thankfully their sound got much tighter.

A solo acoustic version of "I Will Follow You into the Dark" (Plans 2005) opened the show. It also set the tone for everything being played exactly as it was recorded. Death Cab for Cutie is not without creativity; I am disappointed that they didn't exhibit a bit more. This complaint is two-sided: the faster, harder songs sounded identical to the album versions; the slower, softer songs sounded instrumentally identical to the albums but vocally as though the notes were forgotten. There's this amazing softness to Ben Gibbard's voice on the hushed songs (album versions). This was completely lost at the show. He seemed to be shouting at some points in these songs. A key example of this was "Soul Meets Body" (Plans), which I thought was destroyed by a lack of lightly sung choruses and verses.

There were a few songs that were perfect (even if they were straight off of the album): "A Movie Script Ending" (The Photo Album 2001), "The New Year", and "Transatlanticism" (both off of Transatlanticism 2003). I was also pleased that there was a spread of music from throughout their career, including most of their new EP, The Open Door (2009).

I can't help but note the large amount of side-to-side swaying going on, which was really distracting by musicians in multiple bands. It's one thing to have a presence on the stage and to get into the music, but it's another to keep time frantically with one's entire body.

This show was worth going to, but I probably won't find myself going to another by any of these groups unless they're playing with someone with more appeal.

Butch Walker - 15 March 2009

2009-03-28T09:55:00.000-04:00

Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Butch Walker and His Gang of Merry Musical Melodymakers Tour
Opener: The Films

I didn't even know that there was going to be an opening band before I got warning from a friend after the doors opened. I had never heard of The Films before this.

I talk a lot about bands going well together for live sets. The Films were a great fit for Butch Walker. I always seem to approve of his choice for openers (assuming it is his choice). The last time I saw him (on the Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites tour in 2007 in Columbus, OH), he had The Honorary Title open, which was undeniably a good idea. The crowd (young and old) loved them. The Films had a similar effect. They came on and blew me away. I was disappointed that I didn't know who the were already. I will note that their live show is a hundred times better than their album, Don't Dance Rattlesnake (2007), which certainly isn't bad. They sound like The Fratellis on the album, which isn't a problem, but it's not what I was expecting after seeing them. It was clear that I had to have this band's music when they played "Belt Loops". I recommend that song highly. The nifty thing about them is that they have multiple versions of their songs. They have country-tinged versions (also included with Don't Dance Rattlesnake), which is exactly why they were perfect for playing with Butch Walker, who has a tendency to throw some country into the mix.

Butch Walker came out and took command of the stage with "Going Back/Going Home" (Sycamore Meadows, 2008). He probably has the most stage presence of any performer I've seen. He played solo on a piano for a few songs following the opener. After that, he left the stage and had his guitarist play for the audience. He returned with his full band and did what he does best.

All of the songs up until the encore were off of Sycamore Meadows or Letters (2004). I had no problems with this as these are probably his best albums, and it was essentially a tour for the former. The versions of "ATL" and "Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car, Thought of You" are sincere on the album (Sycamore Meadows), but were amazingly heartfelt live. The crowd sang along with every word. That's always a good feeling. The best of the night was "Don't Move" (Letters). I think this song best displays his songwriting ability, both musically and lyrically. It's a perfect song and amazing live.

The encore was a typical Butch Walker encore. I made a point to stand nearly right in front of him (but back a few rows) because I knew he'd jump off of the stage into the crowd in that area. I was right. He knows how to work a room. He was on at this show, but his rule of the crowd lasted much longer at the 2007 show. He jumped in during "Hot Girls in Good Moods" (the only song off of The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites! 2006). Before the dancing in the crowd began, the encore also consisted of the band fooling around and ending up playing Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" as well as a Marvelous 3 song.

Most of Butch Walker's songs are great on the albums, but all of them are fantastic live. If one has a slight affinity for his music, his shows are not something to miss.

Modest Mouse - 14 March 2009

2009-03-26T14:12:00.001-04:00

Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Openers: Japanese Motors, Mimicking Birds

Food was deemed more important than the opening bands. That being said, I missed Japanese Motors. I didn't hear any remaining excitement about them, so I guess I didn't miss too much. The Mimicking Birds were good background music. I don't think they had the right sound for a show with Modest Mouse. They didn't have music that even they could really get into. The guitarists essentially just stood in the same place. I lack praise or criticism for them. The crowd was more interesting than the stage show at this point.

Modest Mouse got everyone's attention, as the whole audience was seemingly there for them (not a surprise).

"Dramamine" (This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About 1996) opened the show followed by "Dashboard" (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank 2007), which started out what would be a good mix of the old and the new. They played music spanning their whole career ("Doin' the Cockroach" Lonesome Crowded West 1997 to "Dashboard", "Fire it Up", and "Spitting Venom" all off of We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank). The amazing thing about this is that all of the songs were equally well-received. The crowd got into every song, which is quite rare when a band has a large catalogue behind its hit single ("Float On" Good News for People Who Love Bad News, 2004, was also played!).

There was nearly a lack of celestial-themed songs off of The Moon & Antarctica (2000), but two of the three songs played off of this album were probably personal highlights. The single song played with a celestial theme was "3rd Planet". I was content after that. "Paper Thin Walls" in the encore made the long wait between the set and encore bearable. The crowd wasn't too enthusiastic for the band to come back on stage; it was a bit disappointing. I was shocked when Modest Mouse did return (and for four songs).

I have to note that not every song was played as it appears on the albums, which always makes live shows more enjoyable. However, there was an almost annoying extended rendition of "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" (The Moon & Antarctica). I say "almost annoying" because it went on forever and had me convinced that the show was over at that point. Tease. There were a few more songs left until they left the stage.

This show reminded me (and everyone else) why we like Modest Mouse. There's no doubt about that.

OK Go - 6 March 2009

2009-03-14T10:44:00.000-04:00

Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Openers: Oppenheimer and Longwave

This was the first time that I willingly took advantage of the 21+ section of a show. At first the balcony bar area was sparsely populated and nothing short of ideal. That lasted for a while, but the intrusions were not welcome at all. I will criticize concert-goers who become intoxicated and make spectacles of themselves. Not only does it make them look bad, but it wears on the nerves of those who are there for the music. I suppose I could have stood on the floor behind all of the atrociously tall people. Seems like a toss-up.

Oppenheimer gets some credit automatically for their name. The nerd inside me can't deny it. So, two guys came out on stage and played some really distorted music; it was good. They played pithy songs while the guitarist/keyboardist jumped around excitedly. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed this part of the show until Longwave came on.

The first thing one noticed for Longwave's turn was the set of four spotlights in a horizontal line pointing into the crowd. Where into the crowd? Up into the 21+ balcony. It was just ridiculous. They used this feature during every song. This showed no forethought. The lights weren't even necessary for the show since the house's stage lights were used, too. I think the intent was just to annoy patrons since no one was there for them anyway.

I had hope for Longwave after having heard them online and thinking they were decent. This set was so disturbingly reminiscent of The Spill Canvas (see comments here). By that I mean unintelligible lyrics and terrible sound levels. The vocals were so low, and their songs are nothing without the words. To be fair, the songs aren't "nothing", they are just boring music. Not only was the sound awful (it's hard to believe that this was the TLA's fault because Oppenheimer and OK Go both sounded great), but the spotlights blinding me just made this awful. I really have nothing good to say about them.

OK Go easily saved this whole evening from being the pits. Yes, the pits. They are nothing short of fantastic live. One should expect that because a band has to be good to get away with their antics (videos of themselves dancing in a backyard or on treadmills and things like their "Do What You Want" video where everything is covered with patterned wallpaper). I found their projected background incredibly enchanting. For songs like "Do What You Want" and "Invincible" (both off of Oh No 2005) the background was reminiscent of their associated music videos. Otherwise, the images projected emphasized the songs in particular ways. The only problem was that they mildly distracted from the band.

Some other gems in the performance were "A Million Ways" and "What to Do". Let's start with the former: this was great because there are several points where "one-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero" is being chanted. I never could figure out what was being said before this. "What to Do" (OK Go 2002) absolutely stole the show. There is no other way to say it. There are apparently a lot of versions of this being played acoustically floating around. After hearing one of those, you have to wonder why the band ever recorded it the way they did. The live version on this night (and apparently subsequent nights) was played entirely with hand bells. It was amazing and would have been moreso without the drunken yells of "WE WANT THE TREADMILLZ" and the like. The loud crowd and the quiet song hearkened back again to that tragically bad show with The Spill Canvas, but to the part where Augustana played "Sweet and Low" acoustically to a noisy crowd. In the end, the screaming crowd was appeased with a rousing version of "Here it Goes Again". The background during that was centered around treadmills, naturally. Another popular song was "Get Over It", the first song of the set, which only seemed appropriate as it is the first track off of OK Go and their first single.

Throughout the whole set they played songs from their upcoming album. The prospects of this look really good. The songs sound like a mature OK Go. Anticipation is heavy.

OK Go puts on a great live show that pleases both the ear and the eye. They had fun with their crowd (throwing stuff into it). They are creative and clearly want to be performing. Their set was so good that it made me forget about how awful Longwave was until everything was over. I commend them highly for that.

Jimmy Eat World - 25 February 2009

2009-03-03T02:02:00.002-05:00

Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA

Clarity X 10 tour
Opener: Reuben's Accomplice

Reuben's Accomplice was not the best of choices for openers. No one in my immediate vicinity enjoyed them, including myself. The had two singers on guitars, a guy on a slide guitar, a bass, and drums. It started out alright, and then one of the singers decided to hold on to some really obnoxious notes that just resonated the wrong way...with everyone. Throughout the whole set, there was a low rumble of conversation clouding the music. That, in general, usually indicates a lack of appreciation for the band. Happily, their set was short.

Jimmy Eat World came on and dominated the stage. They essentially played two sets. Since the tour was in celebration of the tenth anniversary of Clarity (1999), they played that straight through first.

They made Clarity better than ever. It's obviously one of their most respected works if it had it's own anniversary tour (ten nights, ten cities). They easily could have played it exactly as it is on the album, but, in places, they kept things interesting and changed things around. Highlights include my third time seeing my favorite J.E.W. song performed with Jim Adkins, the singer, declaring that it is one of his favorite songs to play: "For Me This Is Heaven" (Bleed American tour, 2002, and Chase This Light tour, 2007) and naturally, the epic "Goodbye Sky Harbor". They played the same extended 16+ minute version of the latter song that everyone hoped to experience. I saw this back in 2002, and I think it was only about 10 minutes then. This performance was complete with the lyric layering heard in the recorded version. It reminded me of the Andrew Bird show I saw a few months ago (before the birth of this blog) where he layered everything--violin, guitar, and whistles--beneath his lyrics. It's all a fancy live trick that is fun to watch progress. This part of the show was spectacular because nearly everyone was singing along with every word. Other highlights include "Believe in What You Want" (which may just be because I like the imagery in the line "dancing in plastic shake-up snow") and "Blister", which has been played at the previous two shows I've attended.

I particularly enjoyed the people that cut out at the end of "Goodbye Sky Harbor". Did they really think that was it? No, there was essentially a whole other set to come in the encore (it was really about six songs, but it was just so good)! They started in on the encore with "What I Would Say to You Now" (Singles 2000) and continued the onslaught of heavier songs with "No Sensitivity" (Split 2000) and took a brief reprieve with "23" (Futures 2004) . They played a good overview of their career in the encore starting with the previously mentioned old songs. Although they played nothing from Chase This Light (2007), they played three songs from Futures. The final song was "Sweetness" (Bleed American 2001) and the audience was eager to sing along, or rather shout along.

I'm still waiting to see "Kill" live.

Lovedrug - 23 February 2009

2009-03-02T20:08:00.001-05:00

The Khyber Upstairs, Philadelphia, PA

The Sucker Punch Show tour
Openers: Great American Soundtrack, Balance & Composure

The opening acts were local bands that were very obviously playing for their friends. They weren't really impressive. I missed most of Great American Soundtrack's set, and by the impression I got from the part I did see, I didn't miss much. Balance & Composure might be considered bad if think creativity and originality are important for a young band. I'll allow them to be overly thrilled about the fact that they have recorded music because I don't have a recorded album, just a few notes on a friend's record.

I was extremely excited for this Lovedrug show. When I found out they were touring and playing in PA, I got really excited. At the time, they were only playing in Lancaster on a Saturday night, and I had to sit on a stage playing Debussy's La Mer. A few weeks before the show in Philly, I found out that they added that tour date.

This was the second time I've seen them live. The first was when they opened for Straylight Run and Sparta (2007, the show ended for me after Sparta. It wasn't getting any better with Straylight Run.). I noticed then that the singer of Lovedrug closed his eyes while he sang. At The Khyber, attendees were pretty much on top of the band, and the singer still kept his eyes closed. When I say on top of the band, I mean it. There were less than two dozen in the audience, and it was like going to a show in a stranger's attic, really. The band interacted well with the small crowd and didn't seem upset that there were so few people. The show was an early, all-ages deal and was to be over around 8:30 p.m. Oh, school nights! The band kept going until about 8:45, for which the fans were grateful. I will also note that once again, I felt alone as I sang every word of every song. I know at least one other person sang all of the lyrics because I was there with him and am the reason he knows of Lovedrug. Needless to say, I was probably pretty annoying to the tall guy that decided it was a good idea to stand in front of someone short.

On to the music!

They played a huge chunk of The Sucker Punch Show (2008), which included starting with "Let it All Out" and "Only One". "Borrowed Legs" was another highlight off of that album. Although the sound system in the venue left much to be desired, they still sounded really good. They played with precision and creativity. As it turns out, there are several versions to most of their songs (some of which are currently available to download from the band). They played some songs in the album versions and some not.

I believe the crowd was most enthusiastic for cuts off of Everything Starts Where it Ends (2007). They played a seemingly-crowd-favorite "Doomsday & The Echo", and one of my favorites off of that album, "Ghost By Your Side"; however, I was more thrilled to hear earlier stuff off of Pretend You're Alive (2004). I found it hard to contain my excitement when I heard the opening notes of "Blackout". This is probably the first song that really got me into Lovedrug. It's the second song on the album, and I liked it immediately. The set ended about an hour after it started. They were permitted one final song by the venue (but it was still a ridiculously early show), and that song was a solo acoustic version of "Spiders". It was essentially a sing-along and a perfect way to end the show.

Lovedrug is a very creative band, musically and lyrically. The listener doesn't really know what to expect from beat to beat, which incites curiosity and interest. The subject matter is never tired and old. The music is always evolving and intricate. I hear something new every time I listen to their work.

Carolina Liar - Coming to Terms

2009-03-02T18:10:00.001-05:00

2008

I am entirely convinced that I had heard some of these songs before and had no idea who it was. The best example is "Show Me What I'm Looking For". I know I'd heard "I'm Not Over" on the radio (either Alternative Addiction Radio, Pandora, or Radio 104.5). In any case, those are among the standout tracks, and I wasn't surprised when I looked up their singles and those two were listed.

"I'm Not Over" is a radio-friendly alternative rock song dealing with not being over a love, which is very obvious from the title. This is what made me check out this band. The song doesn't disappoint, but the overall album could be better.

Apparently "Coming to Terms" is the latest single. I say it's a bad move. It's too slow and doesn't catch attention. It seems like filler between "I'm Not Over" and "Show Me What I'm Looking For" and not a potential single. The other song that falls between those songs ("Last Night", which seems to be about becoming involved with someone who showed false interest just for a good time) also just seems like filler.

I'm not against cursing in songs; I am against forced foul language. Save for the title and the chorus, "All That Shit Is Gone" is a good song. The verses lure in the listener because they are creative, but the build-up to the chorus is a letdown when the chorus hits. It's simply a repeat of the title a few times, which isn't creative. They could have come up with something better. If it weren't made trite by the end of the song, I probably wouldn't mind it as much.

The album is saved from being solely singles and filler by "Something to Die for". Carolina Liar should consider the acoustic guitar introductions more frequently. This song is well put together and is in the same vein as "I'm Not Over" musically.

The last three tracks aren't bad. They're better than some of the earlier songs. "When You Are Near" shows off some vocal range in yet another love-themed song and was a good choice for ending the album. I won't cut Carolina Liar down for their subject matter. I don't mind it, I just think they way they present it is a little clichéd.

The Fray - The Fray

2009-02-18T17:24:00.001-05:00

2009

This is how follow-up albums should be done. The world fell in love with "Over My Head (Cable Car)" (How to Save a Life 2005); the world had no idea what The Fray could create. They have progressed very far creatively. Happily, annunciation is something that was developed in the last few years, too.

The album opens with a simple piano line leading into an echo of the same line in guitars. After that, the lyrics come in: "Halfway around the world/lies the one thing you want,/buried in the ground/hundreds of miles down." I have no idea what this one thing is or why it's buried so far down, but it doesn't matter. I just want to listen to him; I am engaged in this piece.

Some of the songs tell stories of heartbreak disguised behind soaring choruses and piano lines ("Enough for Now"). Some of the songs everyone can relate to with lines like "They're going to push until you give in" and the like ("Say When"). Most of the songs suck the listener in until the very end of the album.

"We Build Then We Break" opens with a heavily distorted line. It's a departure from the typical sound of The Fray (and typical subject matter!). It's a shame they keep this until nearly the end of the album. The song does go back to typical The Fray sounds after about 44 seconds, but the distortion comes back when the chorus fades away. They also break away from their sound to venture into a sound influenced heavily by others. For example, "Ungodly Hour" is reminiscent of the songs at the end of Semisonic's Feeling Strangely Fine (1998). It has the same sort of lightly sung lyrics and is based strongly around a piano.

If The Fray missed on any song, then it's "Never Say Never", which is just a bit boring in comparison to the rest of the album. The melodies almost feel reused instead of new. Luckily, this song is in the middle of the album, so the tracks preceding and following distract from it.

The album ends with the "Happiness", which starts off quietly and has a subtle crescendo to an abrupt fall that leaves only the singer and his piano for the last minute of the album. This song is very well done and is probably the best choice to end.

This has been one of the hardest reviews to write. I am not exactly sure why, either. I had to listen to the album about twenty times before I was comfortable saying these things. One thing that this shows is that I didn't get tired of it. I frequently find myself changing to another album halfway through How to Save a Life (after "Heaven Forbid"). The Fray is still very much The Fray, but it is mature and engaging.

The Maine - Can't Stop, Won't Stop

2009-02-09T10:09:00.002-05:00

2008

I learned my lesson with finding music on MTV with this one. Apparently they're also a MySpace phenomenon. I almost feel ashamed for this as neither MTV nor MySpace are of any interest to me. I'd be ashamed, but this is my chance to write a negative review, at least negative-skewed.

I'm one to criticize the maturity level of lyrics. This sounds as though it were written by high schoolers, but then I read up on The Maine and saw that they have recently graduated high school. I was close. It explains a lot. Lines like "Girls do what they want.//Boys do what they can." ("Girls Do What They Want", aptly named, no?) make me wonder why I'm wasting my time listening to this enough to give an informed review. Putting up with the pain a little more, and the infinite wisdom of "I'd rather be in love than dead" is uttered ("This Is the End"). No. Way. "Whoever She Is" is also a waste of my time: "She could be money, cars, fear of the dark..." What?

It gets worse: "She won't kiss and tell, but this isn't hell"...can the rhyming get any more trite? ("Kiss and Sell"). In fact, there seems to be a need to rhyme. Didn't anyone ever teach these guys that rhyming isn't necessary and can be overused quite easily? Apparently not...just imagine what they rhymed with "stuck" in "You Left Me"! I can only hope that this is some sort of gimmick. I have my doubts.

I really want to like this because the instrumentals and the vocals are actually not bad (although there is a huge lack of diversity in the sound---except the electronic opening of "You Left Me"), but the lyrical content is just so bad. Look else where if you want something a bit more mature. It's not hard to be "a bit more mature" than this. I suppose if I were 13 instead of 23 I'd be in love with this album.

The All-American Rejects - When the World Comes Down

2009-02-02T13:33:00.000-05:00

2008

Let me get my complaint out in the open right away. Sometimes The All-American Rejects seem immature. I then remember that they're young...then I remember that they're older than I am. At least I think so, their Wikipedia pages are terribly written (teenage-fangirl quality).

Now that that's off my chest. I absolutely adore "Gives You Hell". I didn't at first, but then I realized that if I ever get my heart mercilessly destroyed again, I have an anthem. I have a particular affinity for large groups of people singing in unison. I love it on this song.

The second single, "Mona Lisa", seems as though it wouldn't be cut out for being a single, but that wasn't my decision to make (for future reference, I would have picked "Real World" or "Believe", which both is and isn't typical AAR).

I really want to sit here and highlight the beauty in every song. I'll try to restrain, but I think it'll happen anyway for most of the songs.

"Another Heart Calls" is sickeningly sweet with lines like "I'll never ask for anyone but you" sung with female vocals added by The Pierces, who I never heard of before getting this album.

"Breakin'". I hate the spelling...err...spellin'. Is that allowed? That's a gerund, not a verb. The chorus makes up for the stupid name. The main point of this song is at the end of the chorus "Breakin's what your heart is for", but the lines leading up to that are the winners. At the beginning of the chorus there is a cymbol crash that is just right. I think it heightens the effectiveness of the song, honestly.

I want to highlight the use of instruments outside of the typical band instruements. AAR like to include strings ("Can't Take It" off of Move Along, 2005). They do it well. This time there is a theme in "Fallin' Apart" (another missing "g"...) that makes the song. The album ends with string fade-out on "Sunshine", which is delicate and softly fades in a string diminuendo.

For writing so immaturely, at times (I suppose I should justify this claim. See the lyrics of "I Wanna": "I wanna, I wanna, I wanna touch you/You wanna touch me, too." They can do better than this.), this album is not disappointing at all. I did feel the need to comment on every song, but I restrained myself. Every song really is worthwhile for good things to be said about it.

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

2009-02-02T11:32:00.002-05:00

2007

I first heard this band as I drove down to Philadelphia one Friday evening (truth be told, I'd heard of Management, but they apparently decided to eliminate some letters). Anyway, I heard MGMT for the first time on WRFF Radio 104.5. I found "Time to Pretend" catchy, but didn't really think it worthwhile the first time around. That was late in 2008. I find it strange that that song didn't take off a lot sooner than it did.

I have since been recommended and introduced to the whole album, and I now find it addicting. It's great to be productive with; when it slows down, it doesn't do so in a distracting manner. I find having listened to it a lot, I still have no idea what the lyrics are for the most part. This is why it's good to work to, but I may fail at writing a good review because I can't seem to pay attention to the music itself beyond "Time to Pretend".

I'm not saying the whole album sounds the same. MGMT just did a really good job at writing songs that belong together. In fact, hardly any of it sounds the same. Take the following two contrasting examples: "Electric Feel" reminds me of MIKA (Life in Cartoon Motion, 2007). They both have that same electronic sense and falsetto-esque singing. "Kids" reminds me of The Fratellis (Costello Music, 2007), but a little less sloppy.

One lyric that I can never keep from hearing is the declaration to "cut a rug" ("The Youth"). I don't usually like lyrics that place music at a certain point in time, but that doesn't even really do a good job. I like it (and the way "The Youth" flows into "Electric Feel").

The transitions between songs are just perfect in that they lure the listener into the next song, and the beats in the upbeat songs induce at the very least a little bit of minor head-bobbing. Seriously. The slower songs get a little bit of unconscious swaying (usually during "Pieces of What").

By the time "Future Reflections" comes on, the listener may want more than the just over 40 minutes of music. That's the biggest failing of the album: it's too short. I commend MGMT on this effort.

The Decemberists - Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series

2008-12-31T11:26:00.000-05:00

2008

This was released as three individual singles:
Vol. 1: Valerie Plame
Vol. 2: Days of Elaine
Vol. 3: A Record Year for Rainfall

However, I'm going to consider them as a whole.

Always the Bridesmaid is a balance between the catchy ditties that The Decemberists do so well (along the lines of "July, July", "The Culling of the Fold", and that sort) and the jangly ballads that they also excel in producing (such as "The Engine Driver", "The Apology Song", and the rest). Unfortunately, there are no epic pieces in this set. One can only hope that those come on the new album, The Hazards of Love, which will appear March 24th, according to their website.

The slow, soft "Raincoat Song" was first noticed at the concert I attend in November, where I was amazed by it's delicacy. This is a standout track that just happens to fall on the rain-themed third volume. "A Record Year for Rainfall" is good, too; it just doesn't strike the same chords.

"Valerie Plame" is what one would expect from the upbeat side of The Decemberists. "Days of Elaine" follows suit. Fortunately, what one comes to expect of The Decemberists is quality, which is found throughout the three volumes.

One final note must be made: Velvet Underground's "I'm Sticking with You" is covered. It's done well, but it is overshadowed by all of the rest. It is a good way to end Vol. 2, and all of the volumes end with the softer songs. It just doesn't stand out more than the other songs.

Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns

2008-11-29T23:49:00.001-05:00

2008

Because this album is better than other Snow Patrol releases, I ignore the use of "a hundred" in the album title.

I had this album in a loop in my car for over a week. One thing that needs to be noted about it is that it very nicely transitions through from the end of the final track to the beginning of the first track. The last track, "The Lightning Strike", is a sequence of three seemingly separate tracks that make up one 15+ minute track. The third part, called "Daybreak" is fantastic. There are lyrics throughout this album that really hit me. This part of the trilogy is full of hope, as suggested by the name. There's the line "something was bound to go right sometime today" that just makes me smile every time.

Not surprisingly, the fast, upbeat tracks at the front of the album are the choice singles. I don't think they are the best choices ("Take Back the City" and the forthcoming "Crack the Shutters"), but I'm not in charge of that nonsense. These songs also have a tendency to grow on the listener, which may have been what the record company was looking to achieve. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially since these aren't being played on the Top 40 type of stations.

"Engines" is very reminiscent of the Final Straw days of Snow Patrol. It would be a good way to lure people in to have this much earlier than track nine. It is unfortunately followed by "Disaster Button", which is the worst song on this album and the worst song Snow Patrol has put out in a while. There are forced present-day cultural references and a misuse of a foul word that just really isn't necessary. I have no problems with a foul mouth, but the single curse in this song is terribly misplaced.

Overall, I'd say this is a tasteful piece of Snow Patrol work. I am admittedly more of a fan of their newer works. I think it's more creative than the old stuff.

OneRepublic - 25 November 2008

2008-11-26T16:47:00.003-05:00

Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Tag This Tour! 5 Gum-sponsored tour
Openers: The Hush Sound, The Spill Canvas, Augustana

The Hush Sound were a surprise. I had heard a few songs and wasn't too impressed, but they put on a good show. They were energetic and enjoyed what they were doing. They seemed creative, but I doubt there were any deviations from their recorded songs in this set. I was pleased that only the final song of their set was overdone. It sounded far more like pop than anything else they played. They alternated between a male and a female singer, which fit their music well and was not a gimmick. I give them much credit for their performance.

This was the second time that I was unfortunate enough to end up at a show that The Spill Canvas was playing. The first time was a line-up of Mae, The Spill Canvas, and Army of Me. Army of Me shouldn't have been the first band to play that show because they outdid the following act. The Spill Canvas was bad then (TLA, Philly, August 2006) because the singer couldn't seem to pronounce the words of the songs, he seemed to think that he was the reason everyone was there, etc. They were a disappointment. They still are. I hoped that two years would improve them. That didn't happen. The singer still can't get out syllables in an intelligible manner and still thinks he's the entire reason for everyone's attendance. The difference this time was that the silly children in the audience bought right into it. They apparently have no idea that The Spill Canvas played a group of songs that fell into two distinct categories: fast, bad songs and slow, worse ones. Everything sounded the same with the exception of tempo. I have no idea what the songs were about because nothing seemed to be above gibberish. At one point the singer declared that "This song is about intercourse. We're all adults here." I was one of the oldest people in this crowd. That was highly inappropriate and shows just how out-of-touch this guy is. His demographic is high school students. This had very strong potential to ruin the night.

I don't usually attend tours with corporate sponsors as they tend to be pricy, but I really longed to see Augustana live. I had tried several times to see them, but always had a night exam. This was my chance. I had read about Augustana live: how they are creative and showcase themselves as musicians. It's all true. They take their songs and have fun with them. There was a lot of blues influecing their set, it seemed. They played a good amount from Can't Love, Can't Hurt, their newest album and a few from their first album. I seemed to be alone in a sea of people as I contentedly added my voice to all of their songs. I was joined by the masses when the band played their hit "Boston". This song is amazing in it's older forms. I believe their record company provoked them into altering it. In it's present form, it is the worst song they have, which says a lot because it is not a bad song. They also did this amazing rendition of "Sweet and Low" with three unplugged acoustic guitars and five voices singing into a single microphone. The appreciation for their abilities was lost of this crowd, sadly. There was a finale of cover songs with references too old for most of the audience (Traveling Wilburys and Bob Dylan). This set was phenomenal. The band's energy and attitude radiated from the stage. I wouldn't mind seeing them again, but with a crowd that is present for their performance.

I had heard relatively little of OneRepublic before this show. They were wonderful, and it was evident why they were the headliners. They had a stunning stage set-up. It's rare that the lighting is as impressive as this. It was extremely well done and lavish, if that's an appropriate description. The whole stage was aesthetically pleasing and very well-planned. They played crowd favorites and showcased all of the band's talents individually throughout their set. The most striking was the cellist. The lead guitarist played classical guitar with a Spanish theme at one point, which was wonderful. Although they were all very talented musicians, they are shadowed in ensemble by the vocalist. He has more range than most singers and knows how to use it.

I had originally first heard of both OneRepublic a few years ago. After this concert, I wish I had looked into them sooner because they certainly have ability. It remains for me to determine if their talent is only in live performance.

Overall, I was pleased with this very long night (over four hours of standing). By the end, the black marks The Spill Canvas soiled the night with were erased.

The Decemberists - 7 November 2008

2008-11-24T22:53:00.005-05:00

Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Bridesmaid Revisited Tour
Opener: Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond as the opener was a good choice. There was a woman playing viola in this band. I decided that I'd give up this physics graduate school thing if I could play viola with a band. That actually is an evaluation of their performance. I have a great deal with this graduate school thing; I'd only give it up for something amazing. That means Loch Lomond impressed me.

This is the fourth time I attended a concert by The Decemberists (previously on the Picaresque/The Tain and The Crane Wife tours), and they were in prime form this night. I am a little bit biased since one of The Crane Wife shows was with a symphony orchestra and blew everyone in attendance away.

The band was particularly full of energy at this concert. The audience was, too. The only problem I had was that a large majority of fans seemed to be over six feet tall and unwilling to shift for the short people.

One of the great things about shows like this is that there are fans of all ages---including a few stuck in the past and under the influence of substances that induce big hair and bad dancing at inappropriate times and that wear off before the end of the show.

Aside from the surroundings, which I normally am annoyed to tolerate since the Electric Factory and I have a history, this show was fantastic. They played for two hours, which were simultaneously broadcast on WXPN and NPR. Two hours! They played pieces spanning from their beginnings to nearly everything off of the Always the Bridesmaid singles set. I was overjoyed to hear a few of my favorites ("July, July!" and "Culling of the Fold"). The performance of a few songs brought renewed love to the lost treasures of the Her Majesty album.

Every time I see a show, I usually notice one song that stands out. The first time I saw The Decemberists was in Columbus, OH in October 2005. The epic of "The Tain" struck me with awe as they opened their set. The second time was in Columbus of November 2006 where I was introduced to "Culling of the Fold". The third was the symphony concert in Philly during July 2007, and it was "The Crane Wife, Parts 1 & 2" that won me over. This instance, the honor goes to "The Engine Driver". I nearly cried. I guess I just never really had the meaning of that song hit me before.

In the end, the band turned the place into a political celebration in the wake of Election '08. The show ended with a huge encore and everyone reciting the last lines of "Sons & Daughters": Hear the bombs, they fade away.

Rules

2008-11-24T15:17:00.004-05:00

Albums:
I will comment on albums I acquire. I will not comment until I have listened to the album at least five times. I find that most people that review albums listen to them once and tend to miss inventive aspects of the work.

Concerts:
Since these can only be lived once, they will receive a review afterward.

I'm not afraid of saying negative things, but I do pick out what I listen to very carefully.

I can go back into my CD collection and pull out something old to post on here.

I am free to make things up as I go along. For instance, I might throw in a book review every once in a while.