Central Village

Cleanse & Repeat

I think the new Bright Eyes album is pretty much the best thing I've heard this year since that Of Montreal came out. Seriously. I just listen over and over. Great mix of familiar songs from seeing him live and new stuff, bluegrass/country sounding songs and others that sound a little more contemporary. I think he really nailed it on the head this time. There are about 5 songs on this album I could call my favorite at one point or another, and that's not even counting 'Four Winds' and 'Soul Singer...', which I've listened to death from a bootleg of the Bonnaroo set last summer. Here's the one I've probably come back to to the most. That line about "From the Roof of a Friends'" is probably the most potent 9/11 lyric I've heard in the last 5 years. Not sure why it strikes me the way that it does, as I've always been pretty numb to most of that stuff, but it does.

Bright Eyes - Cleanse Song (mp3)

Atwitter with Twitter

Sure, it's dumb, overbearing at times and I'm already sort of getting sick of it, but Twitter has acted as an amusing distraction over the last couple days. Since 90% of my twitterfriends are new to the system, I think there is an adjustment period that should settle itself out over time. The most frustrating aspect is people treating it as a message board or discussion group rather than an isolated personal feed. I think once everyone learns that you can't respond directly to someone else's twitter because not everyone shares the same group of friends, it will be a lot of fun. It's a different mentality than blogs or myspace or even dodgeball in this regard, but I like the spontaneity and simplicity of the whole thing a lot.

Anyway, feel free to add me and follow my every step here.

Side note, but how GREAT were Friday Night Lights and Lost last night? Smash's character took a huge jump this week. His frustration towards trying to cope with his girlfriend's issues? Perfect. So realistically honest and heartfelt. And what about that heart pounding ending on LOST?? Mostly a filler episode, but one done well. Those last five minutes were straight Hitchcock.

You know you want to, hippie

Last time I saw Phil Lesh, it was with like 80,000 people headlining the main stage at Bonnaroo and it turned out to be completely awesome. Just a bunch of Dead songs. No filler, all hits. Just got word he's playing 2 shows at the 400 cap. SOB's on 4/9 and 4/10. Tickets here. No other details right now as to what the show will be like or who he's playing with, but I think I might end up spending close to $1000 dollars on tickets by the times this week is over and I'm not sure how I feel about this...

Patrick Wolf, Holy Thursday

Not sure what else to say, except that there is probably no better way to spend the night if you've got Good Friday off. Been waiting to see this guy perform for quite a while now. Looks like a total freakshow.

This is his first NYC appearance (to my knowledge) in quite a while. Certainly his first since The Magic Potion was released. RSVP here. Hiro Ballroom, Free, Thursday, GBH...you know the drill by now.

Here's an old video of Tristan, which was his first jam that grabbed my attention way back when. It's quite the burner.

The Arcade Fire @ La Blogotheque: The best music video I've seen in years

What is there left to say about the Arcade Fire? It's all been done. Just last week I think I hit a saturation point. The next New York shows were officially announced and I barely batted an eye. I wasn't setting alarm clocks and email reminders to get tickets. I wasn't even sure if I was going to go. See, I like this Neon Bible album a lot, and enjoy listening to it when I do, but I by no means can claim it to be my favorite album of the year. It's a strong year and a difficult album to get involved with. The Judson show was special and memorable, but lacked the magic from the Coachella set or those first few post-CMJ NYC shows. I thought that maybe, just maybe it was starting to run out for these guys. Maybe the Arcade Fire had dropped to merely a fantastic band from being a transcendent one. But then I innocently clicked on this link in an email this morning from La Blogotheque.

It's called Take away Show 41 (41 happens to be my favorite number, dating back to the Glenn Rice and Dave Matthews days.) The video has the feel of being done in one continuous shot, even if there are a subtle cuts here and there. The video starts out in a dressing room with the band warming up and getting ready for a show. It then follows them through a back hallway into a freight elevator, where they all squeeze in and perform Neon Bible. The elevator doors then open and the continue on. They stop briefly to get some final instruments and you start to hear the roar of a crowd. Next thing you know, they're walking right into the middle of the Parisian crowd to play Wake Up. So chilling. Watch here:

Take Away show #41 - The Arcade Fire

This Panda Bear album kinda blows

Just something to chew on over the weekend. I mean c'mon!

0 for 2 this week, Pitchfork.

Pressing Sports Questions

I follow sports fairly carefully (MLB, NBA and NFL, at least) but I haven't heard anything about these three fairly important topics about my teams.

1. Who is gonna be the Giants Running Back next year? I love Brandon Jacobs more than most, and I'd be more than happy to give him 25 carries per game and pound down the D, but are they going to draft or sign anyone else to act as a David Meggett 3rd down/quick alternative back to run routes and change pace? If so, who are they looking at? Free Agency is in full swing and I've come across nothing.

2. Where are all the "Hey, Renaldo Balkman isn't so bad!" articles? After being universally panned (panned is an understatement. Isiah and the Knicks got KILLED for that pick) on draft night, turns out the Knicks actually picked the exact type of player they needed. A tough, hard working three who will never be an all star, but can get some tough minutes off the bench. That's the kind of guy you are supposed to get in the mid 20s of the first round. If you're lucky. I don't like Isiah as a coach, and he has been a trade/free agent disaster ever since the Van Horn "We need to get less white more athletic" deal, but his draft record has to be better than anyone else in the league. He gets the most out of his picks, and drafts to the strengths of his team. The NBA draft is so hyped and everyone has something nice to say about everyone there, the ability to see through all that mess and pick the best products to play in the NBA is a real skill, and I have to credit Zeke for having such an ability

3. Who is gonna round out the Mets rotation? Last I checked, Opening day is April 1st, which is exactly 10 Days away(!). Are any of the low-cost question marks looking ready? I assume Glavine, El Duque and Maine are solids, but have Chan-Ho or Sele regained any of their early career consistency? Can Perez be an effective starter again? Are any of the highly touted prospects ready to pitch yet in the bigs? I am thrilled that the Mets held back in that crazy Free Agency spree and love the Low Risk/High Reward Alou signing, so I'm not gonna go out and say they should have overpaid for Zito or one of those other $10 million a year scrubs cause they shouldn't have. I have faith Peterson and the Mets will be able to make a starting pitcher out of one of the 7 or so guys they have to pick from, but I'm just wondering why I haven't read any clues as to who we might see first. The NL East looks really scary this year and I don't wanna get in an early rut while still trying to figure all this out.

That is all. Thanks for reading. Here's a video of The Federation performing at SXSW to a bunch of embarrassing hipster stereotypes. My favorite part is the "Yeaaaaaaaahhhhhh" from the crowd right around the 20 second mark. (BTW, deffo not from the iheartcomix party, despite what the video is tagged)

Will anyone notice Maximo park this time?

I was as shocked as any when supposed to be one-hit wonders and perpetual live disappointments Maximo Park churned out one of my favorite albums of the last few years with A Certain Trigger. I mean these guy seemed 6 months too late in an already crowded post-Killers Brit Pop/Rock surge that never really had that much momentum to begin with once it was all said and done. But sure enough, that album stood out from the crowd and had my ears for for a solid 3 or 4 months and found its way into my top 5 that year. It was a really fantastic album through and through, and I don't think it ever got the credit it deserved because they were nice guys who never started any trouble and eventually got lost in the mix. One of them needs to hook up with a Pipette or beat up Johnny Borrell outside a club or something.

Now, 2 years later, they're finding their way through the second wave of all this stuff, suddenly in a fading post-Arctic Monkeys spotlight and seeming just as lost as ever. Even as they're headlining big tours and getting good press, it still feels like they're a tough band to really make stand out. No matter, I like their new album just fine. Not as much as their last probably, but there are some really really good songs on here. Paul Smith (If that's his real name) has this great vocal delivery that's very specific and visual while still remaining dramatic. A surprisingly difficult combination. I think this here is the best track on the album. The opening line sets the stage for the rest of the song magnificently.

Maximo Park - Books From Boxes (mp3)

Also, while we're sort of on the subject, Sound Bites has a new Cribs song. Whoa-Oh!

(pic via Johanna Bocher's flickr)

Am I the only one who thinks the new LCD Soundsystem is utter garbage?

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. This LCD Soundsystem is just not very good. In fact, I think it stinks. And I've felt this way for a while now, since it leaked many months ago. I thought it was awful then, I've tried to give it a few shots when friend after friend after trusted music opinion kept calling it the best thing evar, and every time I try and listen I get more and more frustrated because the songs are just plain awful. Now Pitchfork has chimed in and gave it best music of the millennium status and I honestly feel that I'm in some controlled experiment conspiracy like the Truman show where everybody is in on the gag but me. What the hell is going on here? I mean LISTEN to it! The only track I'd consider on the good side of the mediocre line is Get Innocuous Someone Great, which is just a single cut from the impressive Nike Jogging mix. New York I Love You??? Holycrap sounds like something he ripped off from open mic night at the Bowery Poetry Club. Sound of Silver is a total joke, with the most trite and obvious chorus, backed by the most trite and obvious beat progression. North American Scum is completely average and forgettable as a lead single. I could go on, but I'd need to listen to the album again to refresh my memory and I'd rather not give my itunes playcounter the satisfaction.

I guess my only vindication will come when James Murphy will give the inevitable interview to Pitchfork in 8 months (before co-headlining Radio City with Ok Go) where he states he whipped the entire album up in one afternoon while constipated on the toilet to spite his fans who enjoy his music too much. This'll happen the week after Timberland signs on to produce the next Black Dice album and Fergie announces she's pregnant with Zach Condon's twins. At least then I'll know it's the world that's gone mad, not me.

What was the best band at SXSW?

I'm such an idiot for not giving this enough thought as the week progressed, because it's the first thing everybody asks. No matter how little or how much they know about music, it's the first question out of everybody's mouth. And, even still, after documenting every taco I ate for the last week, I don't have anywhere close to a definitive answer. Maybe I was most impressed by MSTRKRFT (er...SPCLGST) at that random nightclub Friday night because it completely changed my opinion of those guys and got me to dance and enjoy myself when I was just about ready to drop for the night. Amy Winehouse was sensational, tho the set was way too short. Pipettes were cute and fun and I enjoyed pretend stalking them at the Fader tent all week, but I couldn't call them the best by any stretch. Polyphonic Spree were a total trip even if the sound didn't punch through like when I saw them play their own show. Same feeling with Mew. The Federation might have singlehandedly changed my opinion of what live hip hop could achieve, but I was so hyphy off those giant Monster energy cocktails I really had no fucking clue what was going on.

The one thing I am sure of is the best band I never heard of before last week. And while I did mostly stick to what I was already familiar with, (the biggest downside of not having a badge is you end up playing it much safer) my favorite discovery was Hot Club de Paris. Their stuff on myspace is unfortunately kind of a bore, but these videos are excellent.

Two more after the jump. Highly recommended.