Compact Disc/mp3 review no. 3: xx by the xx

This band is completely new to me but when I read that they regarded themselves as inside the post-punk revival genre I knew I had to investigate. What I found was an incredibly quiet, minimalist, alternative band unlike anything I've heard before. The xx received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone with their debut album and made it onto Pitchfork's Top 100 of 2009 with songs "Crystalized" and "Island".

There's a good amount of sincerity to their work and it doesn't seem to me like they're distorting they're sound or pulling any punches to make themselves more marketable. Normally on any given debut album you get the impression that there are two or three songs the band worked on in anticipation that these would bring them success while the other tracks are, even if the effect is only slightly noticeable, a bit lackadaisical in comparison. This phenomenon disrupts the listeners' ability to grow acclimated to the album's sound even if only for a little bit. There is not a bit of filler on this album and it feels like one long musical sentence rather than a series of abbreviated entries like most bands' debut albums seem to be as they find their sounds.

Despite the fact that none of these tracks seems like it was meant to be a "hit" in the conventional sense, the whole album plays with a deliberate and quiet beauty that I rarely get to hear, especially from new artists. It would be hard to select any of these tracks for a single or radio play because they're all so interwoven. I'm going to recommend that anyone who likes the tracks I've listed above simply take my word and hear the whole album all the way through because you won't be disappointed.

The songs play at a slow tempo and are filled with clean (without overdrive or distortion) guitars treated with delay. There is percussion too and the occasional keyboard but it's bit rarer than on conventional rock albums since the guitars and bass quietly provide most of the beat with drums as merely a fitting accompaniment. The vocals go back and forth between male, female, and a duet of the two. I'd describe the album as slightly melancholic and very contemplative. It's not kill yourself depressing but I can definitely hear some sadness in the overall sound.

In closing, this album is beautiful and I don't think anyone could hate it but if you're looking for a hard-driving rock album then you'll need to look elsewhere. If you're a mainstream rock listener then you might have a hard time getting into xx but if you can appreciate the beauty of calculated minimalism you'll love it like I do.

Concerts in Houston!

In the past two months, saying I've dropped a dime on concert tickets is an understatement. I continue to hear news that more and more bands/artists I like are coming to Houston and I can't help but buy the tickets! Anyone reading the blog from Houston or in the Southwest US should take note because these bands are on tour and maybe they're coming to your city!

Dick Dale: King of the surf guitar and a childhood hero of mine, this guy pioneered the genre of surf-rock and introduced new playing styles to American rock music. He practices martial arts, he's never drank or done drugs, and recently recovered from cancer and still puts on enthusiastic performances at 72. I asked this guy via email about some guitar tabs not expecting much since he's a pretty big name but he replied back to me with a personal email! Incredibly nice guy who I've always wanted to see and now I'll finally get a chance. He's playing at the Houston House of Blues on Sunday the 14th of March. Oh yeah, and he wrote that song "Miserlou" for the begininning of Pulp Fiction which is sadly, the only reason knows 90% of my generation knows about him. Great song but there is so much more to his music:

Yes: Everyone knows about this prog rock band so I won't go too much into them but I'm excited since their lineup is original with the exception of keyboard player Rick Wakeman (who's being replaced by his son, Oliver Wakeman) and lead vocalist who's unfortunately taking some down time because of some respiratory issues. It'll be a great show. I love everything they've done.

Jeff Beck: An incredibly influential lead guitarist who hasn't achieved enough commercical success, in my opinion, after playing with the Yard Birds with Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. He occupies the number 14 spot on Rolling Stone's list of top 100 guitarists of all time (the only list of theirs I actually trust or respect). Blues and Jazz are his main areas of expertise and he'll be playing the 27th of April at the Verizon Arena.

The Dead Weather: Side project of Jack White and members from the Greenhorns, the Kills, and Queens of the Stone Age. Excellent band. They've only got a single album out at the moment but it's a very strong start. Make sure to listen to their cover of Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army's "Are Friends Electric?" it was where I first heard them. The cover was on an EP released before their debut album, "Horehound" and can be purchased on iTunes.

Dark Star Orchestra: DSO has been around since 1997 and have won accolades as being basically the best Grateful Dead Cover band ever. I've listened to them a lot and totally agree. The guitar playing and vocals are just like Jerry's and even people who've attended real Dead concerts back in the day agree with me. They'll be playing March 4th at the House of Blues.

Rogue Wave: Are an indie rock band from Oakland California who I've been listening to for a long time. Their playing styles vary a lot by song but I've noticed a nice demonstration of post-punk play between quiet and loud in most of their songs, especially in songs like "Harmonium".

45 Record Review no. 1: The Doors- Gloria

This won't be a long review but I picked up an interesting 45 yesterday. It's a Doors cover of Gloria, by Van Morrison and Them, a cover I didn't even know they did. I picked it up for about five dollars and it says it's a promotional copy not for commercial sale, which makes it a pretty cool collectors item for someone like me who really loves the Doors.

There's no B-side but it's a pretty good cover that integrates classic Doors sound of keyboards and thumping bass with Jim's ad hoc interjections of regular speaking among the singing. I think that even people who hate the doors with a passion will admit that this isn't a bad cover and that the original song certainly ain't bad. I add this last part because I always try to judge covers, even the kind I'm unabashedly fond of, for people who might not be huge fans of the artist or new listeners. If it has appeal to people who don't even identify too much with the artist then chances are, it's a great cover.

Check it out:

Alexander McQueen is found dead in his London home

I'm not an expert on high fashion and I won't pretend I am when I'm writing this entry but I did admire the style and creativity of British designer, Lee Alexander McQueen. My fiancé introduced me to McQueen's work a couple months ago. She's really into high fashion, makeup, and knows more about style than I could ever hope to know. She showed me all sorts of dark and bizarre shoes, dresses, and other pieces of clothing that resemble nothing I've ever seen before: not even in other high fashion. I figured that since this blog is about music and culture that McQueen's untimely death is something that all of you would want to know about. Look at this video to get an idea of the man's strange but inspiring genius:

Compact disc/mp3 album review no. 2: Friendly Fires by Friendly Fires

I found this band in a weird, roundabout way. The story starts with me listening to an old post-punk band called Section 25. They were on the Factory Records label, the same label Joy Division and New Order were signed to, I'd found them on Factory compilation I'd just bought on iTunes and that I plan to review some time soon. I was listening to one of their songs and saw that it was called "Friendly Fires" and I thought to myself, that's a strange title but I think I've heard it somewhere before. It turns out that I'd spied it, and you'll all probably notice that this is a recurring theme on my blog, on the title of a song on one of Pitchfork magazine's top 100 songs lists. The song was called "Paris" and so I downloaded their debut, self-titled, album to see what all the fuss was about (the song on the Pitchfork list was remixed by someone else so I had no idea what Friendly Fires actually sounded like by themselves).

I was pleased to find a thoughtful but dancy electronic band upon listening to Friendly Fires. Though they're heavy on synths and super-streamlined electronic production there are plenty of times where the old-school, bass driven post-punk beats leak through to reveal their influences. FF's drumbeats and soulful funky vocals fit in perfectly with cool electronic contemporaries like James Murphy's LCD Soundsystem. I expect great things from FF in the future.

I'll keep it short and let you all decide what you think, if you haven't already heard the album, but here are some of my favorite songs from Friendly Fires:


Lovesick^


Jump In The Pool^


In The Hospital ^

A Recap of the Who's halftime performance

I don't know how I forgot it but I haven't talked about the Superbowl halftime show and let me just say that it was very good. If you missed it, the halftime act this year was one of my favorite bands of all time: The Who. They played a medley of their most popular stuff since they only had about fifteen minutes to play but for the most part it didn't feel rushed or cheapened.

Roger Daltrey always rocks but that night he was in rare form, his voice didn't sound raspy in the least and sounded very much like classic Who. I went to see them play about two years ago and it was an amazing show despite Daltrey and Townshend's obviously advanced ages and it seems like they haven't aged a bit since then.

The set was a medley of the following songs:
-Pinball Wizard
-Baba O Reilly
-Other parts of Tommy
-We Won't Get Fooled Again

pt. 1


pt. 2

Jack White takes action against USAF

Jack White will take action against the US Air Force after they re-recorded and used "Fell in love with a girl" without permission in a Superbowl ad. White was courteous in his reply though unlike raving anti-war nutcases like Sheryl Crow. He said "The White Stripes support this nation's military, at home and during times when our country needs and depends on them. We simply don't want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict, and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops." I missed the ad but I don't know why the Air Force would use that song anyway. Seems like a strange choice. I would have used "little cream soda" because it's a little more bad ass. Or even "Aluminum"! Oh well though, I can't blame Jack. They never asked for permission. God bless the troops though.


Little Cream Soda


Aluminum

btw, I just recently got tickets to see the Dead Weather in May and am so excited! I'll provide lots of pictures and video.