Our brilliant guest blogger, Britt Lundborg, attended last night’s gig and offers a full report! MGMT played a semi-secret gig last night at Mercury Lounge. The whole business was password protected so when you received your confirmation e-mail for the ticket, it read that you’d bought the opportunity to hear the fine vocal stylings of ‘The Smirking Worm’. Believe me, anyone who managed to score a ticket surely had every reason to smirk. Every gig at Mercury is intimate. And here was MGMT fresh off their trip to the Grammys debuting new tunes from their upcoming release, Congratulations. When I walked in, the room was a quarter full and the boys were rolling around the room, mixing with well-wishers and mates. The room quickly packed and after a rather odd opening act consisting of a foul-mouthed ventriloquist dummy (is there any other kind?) and his human partner, MGMT took the stage to huge cheers. Andrew VanWyngarden, cutie that he is, pulled an awe-shucks move when he said to the rapt crowd, ‘We just really like to play music’. Bless. Seamlessly shuffling between new material and tracks the entire audience could sing back to them, MGMT look, feel and sound like polished pros. They seemed comfortable and confident and didn’t grimace once when playing crowd-pleasing favorites, like ‘Weekend…’ & ‘Electric Feel’. And when they played ‘Flash…’ & ‘Congratulations’, two songs that have just barely begun banging around the blogosphere, the crowd knew just how to sing along. Congratulations, indeed.

More photos, the setlist & an MGMT tune AFTER THE JUMP…

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Our brilliant guest blogger, Britt Lundborg, attended last night’s gig and offers a full report! Broken Bells have been widely touted in the press as the snazzy collaboration between Shins front man, James Mercer, and producer extraordinaire, Danger Mouse. Last night they played their first gig in New York at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg and, rather surprisingly, sold it out. Well, perhaps it isn’t surprising given the Shins’ rabid shoegaze fan base. I was a little amazed that Shins fans even knew where Williamsburg was. The image of Broken Bells we’ve been fed is of two guys (one a sad troubadour, the other a morose knob-twiddler), so imagine the shock when seven dudes stroll out on stage. I suppose you need an extra large crew for tunes as well-wrought and highly-orchestrated as Broken Bells’ are. Now, I would be lying if I said that Mercer and co. then proceeded to get freak-busy on the mic, but they did kick up some nicely-mannered dust. By nicely-mannered, I mean they played their entire album front to back and inserted tiny flourishes when it mattered. On ‘Ghost Inside’, a grinding bass line pulsed the floorboards and threw the song’s aching sexiness all the way to the back of the house. James Mercer’s voice sounded beautifully soulful, like a hopeful bird chirping down a dark mine. Danger Mouse tended to stay behind the drums, but showed off his musical dexterity strumming a guitar and playing the keyboard during their encore. For this, they played 2 covers: Neil Diamond’s ‘Don’t…’ and Tommy James & The Shondells’ ‘Crimson…’, which were both epically great. Perhaps playing songs written by others untethers them.

Read the remainder of this review AFTER THE JUMP…

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Earlier this week, Jordon Chiarelli chatted with Fucked Up’s Pink Eyes:

1. What were your overall thoughts on Do They Know It’s Xmas?

I think it went really well, it was one of those weird things that had to come together at the real last minute and thankfully like, this is not a corporate plug, but, this guy at iTunes, by the name of Lane, was totally on board and helped me with getting the MP3 up. Normally there is like a 6 week lee-time or two month lee-time when you give a song to iTunes from when they put it up. He got it up in like 12 hours - 6 hours. Everyone, every artist involved who appears on the song was a dream to work with, like everyone went like above and beyond the call of duty. In retrospect, it really showed how willing people are to help when you kind of explain a cause to them and they all kind of agree with the cause. I also learned that managers are terrible, terrible people in some cases and management is just there to frustrate people trying to work with an artist. Not in the case of the people who appear on the record, those managers were good, but I found if I, normally if I could get right to the person and explain my cause to them, they were more than willing to help, but a lot of the time I would get stuck dealing with managers and get the run around. With the exception, Tegan & Sara’s manager was really helpful and unbelievable to work with, but a lot of the cases, there were a lot of people who were supposed to be on the record, but didn’t because their management was such a pain in the ass. It just frustrated me to no end.

2. How did your recent duet with Dinosaur Jr. come about?

One of those really weird things. J. Mascis came to see us a couple years ago in Texas (SXSW) and we hit it off, him and I. He and I just kept close and I know they have covered that song and I was like, “we should do ‘Chunks’ tonight, I want to do it, as a joke”. Because he is like a pretty funny guy. A lot of people think he’s like super, “Oh, he’s just a stoner, blah blah blah”. But he doesn’t, he’s pretty much straight edge, y’know, he’s a really funny guy. So we always just joke back and forth and he sent me, like he was like, “Yup, we’re going to do it in the encore. ‘Sludge’, then you”. And I’m like, “No way”. And then, sure enough, we did it and it was like so funny because the first concert I ever went to, like without my parents, like I went to see AC/DC with my stepfather. I went to see Rod Stewart with my mom. But the first concert I went to by myself, when I was like 13 was Dinosaur Jr. And here I was, seventeen years later. He gave me the last song y’know? I ruined everyone’s experience, like having a really shitty thing to eat after a really good meal.

Read the remainder of this interview AFTER THE JUMP…

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Our new guest blogger, Jordon Chiarelli, shares his thoughts on the album. Vancouver’s You Say Party! We Say Die! has been filling the need for two-and-a-half minute dance-pop punk songs since February 9th, when their third LP, XXXX was unleashed on the American public. The band remains loyal to their new wave sound but XXXX is more mature, slick and tighter than their previous recordings. YSPWSD’s newfound maturity is something not to be ignored. They’ve managed to sound a little less like The B-52s than fans are accustomed to and more like Siouxsie & The Banshees – darker and driven by more emotion. The first track, ‘There Is XXXX (Within My Heart)’ is one of the album’s danciest - fusing a groovy base line drenched in synth harmonies. This selection also allows the listener to decipher the meaning of XXXX – love. ‘Glory’, the next tune, pays homage to bands like Be Your Own Pet from a few years ago. It’s also one of the LP’s few guitar driven songs. Other notable tracks include the Devo-esque ‘Cosmic Wanship Avengers’ & ‘Heart Of Gold’ (which undoubtedly exemplifies YSPWSD’s aforementioned emotional fondness). It’s the mellowest but clearly the most epic.

Watch the official video for ‘There Is XXXX (Within My Heart)’ here.

MP3: You Say Party! We Say Die! - Dark Days

Our new guest blogger, Jordon Chiarelli, shares his thoughts on the album. On March 9th, Washington DC’s Ted Leo & The Pharmacists will unveil their sixth release entitled The Brutalist Bricks. The album is an interesting fusion of indie and hard rock songs that express a new sense of pop sensibility resembling that of Can-rocker Sam Roberts alongside the swagger of The Boss. The LP begins with the amped up ‘Mighty Sparrow’ which contains all the necessary hooks and is a definite stand-out track. After a few more similar songs, track five, ‘The Stick’, will hit any listener upside the head and will surely get you on your feet. The tune is a signature Leo number and reminds me of older more palatable Pharmacists selections. Other notable tracks include ‘Where Was My Brain’ - a more up-tempo song than most of the record and finally a tune with a little muscle/attitude. ‘Bartolomeo And The Buzzing Of Bees’ has an interestingly hooky bass line and the album’s best track, ‘Gimme The Wire’, owes Husker Du a big nod. The band has been successful in recent years, playing Coachella and the Pitchfork Festival in 2007, but if I had to say all the hype surrounding this release is accurate, I’d declare that the album is full of both hits and misses. TMS Rating: 7/10.

Ted Leo recently dropped by WXPN.

MP3: Ted Leo - Even Heroes Have To Die

Our brilliant guest blogger, Elizabeth Callanan, attended last night’s gig and provides the following review. Alice Smith fans are die-hards. So much so that the last season of Lost & the threat of a blizzard couldn’t keep them away from Joe’s Pub last night for the finale of a string of sold out shows. Even though the streets of the East Village were eerily quiet due to the snow, the excitement was palpable as people cued up to get a preview of the Grammy nominated chanteuse’s new LP (out in June). A didn’t disappoint. Simply put, she’s INCREDIBLE live & her new songs are fabulosity.

Her debut album (For Lovers, Dreamers & Me) came out in 2005 and her devoted fans have been chomping at the bit for new material ever since. Last night, Alice Smith and her band delivered with a setlist chock full of new songs and a few old favorites that continue to defy categorization. You see, Alice Smith is a bit of an enigma. It’s not just that she has a four octave range or that she’s got the voice of a Broadway singer in a Hollywood body but more that her sound is so unique and nearly impossible to pin down. Her songs effortlessly blend blues, Broadway, and ballads with hints of reggae, funk, and cabaret. Her voice has the power and emotion of Edith Piaf, the soul and depth of Nina Simone and a flavor that is 100% pure Alice Smith. The new songs showcase her amazing vocals perfectly while continuing to explore a broad range of musical influences. She’s certainly an artist to watch and a must-see live performer. Be sure to visit Alice Smith on MySpace.

MP3: Alice Smith - Live On The Interface

Our Toronto based guest blogger, Jordon Chiarelli, shares his review. Did you know that in the Canadian Governmental hierarchy, the Prime Minister is actually third in line? In fact, it is actually the Queen of England who legitimately sits as top ranked head of state (or province) - she even has her mug on all of the Canadian coins & has an intimate acoustically sound theatre named after her based at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. This seven-dollar-a-beer venue housed an up close & entertaining night with The Magnetic Fields on Monday showcasing their most recent release (Realism). Magnetic Fields shows are an amalgamation of witty banter & depressing tunes spearheaded by the band’s chief singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt’s signature baritone, Calvin Johnston-esque voice and soft strum of the ukulele alongside his musical partner, pianist and second vocalist, Claudia Gonson. Both however, were a tad under the weather, suffering from a cold (laryngitis in Gonson’s case). Nonetheless, the show went on as The Magnetic Fields opened with ‘Lindy-Lou’, which is actually a 6ths song (one of Merritt’s other projects) and foreshadowing of the peculiarity of the night to come. The second tune, ‘You Must Be Out Of Your Mind’, was the first of many Realism selections. Others included ‘Hootenanny’ & ‘Walk A Lonely Road’.

In the midst of new material, TMF did find the time to play a wide range of their older, Merge-era material. Off of their most recognizable release, 69 Love Songs, TMF performed ‘Acoustic Guitar’ (which Gonson may have struggled with due to her illness) as well as about a half dozen other classics. There were also snippets of The Wayward Bus & another 6ths song, ‘Falling Out Of Love With You’ (one of the best tracks of the night). Luckily, for the drinkers in the crowd, there was a fifteen minute intermission. The second set ended with ‘Summer Lies’, before an encore consisting of ‘I’m Tongue-Tied’ & ‘100,000 Fireflies’ which Merritt humorously & ironically introduced earlier in the evening as the first song. ‘He’s joking’ Gonson informed us. In essence, it was a sincere performance by Merritt, Gonson and company. My personal highlights were the quiet seconds it took for the audience to get some of the more clever jokes made by Merritt and the cello solo on ‘Fall In Love With The Wolf Boy’ by Sam Davol. There are few artists that come across with as much honesty as Merritt. If you’ve seen him and The Magnetic Fields before, then you know how intimate & personal the shows can be. Regardless of how much Merritt hates performing, it is a blessing to witness him in action (even if he hides under that hideous ball cap and/or is sick). ‘We’ve had a bunch of cold medicine’ he proclaimed in between songs - a peculiar night indeed. TMS Rating: 7/10 (b/c they didn’t play ‘The Death Of Ferdinand De Saussure’).

MP3: The Magnetic Fields - Take Ecstasy With Me (Live)

Our new guest blogger, Jordon Chiarelli, shares his thoughts on the album. Later this month, Shearwater will release The Golden Archipelago on Matador, their sixth LP since their inception, and the third in a series of theme linked albums (the first two being 2006’s Palo Santo and Rook in 2008). The Golden Archipelago is Shearwater’s most accomplished work to date fusing soft melodies with an array of instruments. Taking in a host of worldly sounds and influences, Archipelago begins with a tribal chant which then melts into a soft acoustic ballad, ‘Meridian’, and so begins a groovy journey along the coastal lines of a far-away paradise. Songs such as ‘Black Eyes’, the first single, and ‘Corridors’ go in a different direction than the album’s beginnings, taking a quicker up-tempo composition, which is almost Flaming Lips esque. The latter half of the record calms down, intertwining folk structures – blending piano and even a string section such as ‘Runners…’ (a personal favorite) and the slow, almost salsa dance-inspiring, ‘An Insular Life’. After the epic, Pink Floyd influenced ‘Uniforms’, the album ends with the warm aubade, ‘Missing…’, naturally bringing the LP full circle to the soft touch that kicked it all off. It takes its listener on a journey of the world, celebrating existence and our linkages to everything within it.

Visit Shearwater on MySpace.

MP3s: Shearwater - Black Eyes & Shearwater - Castaways

Our brilliant guest blogger, Britt Lundborg, attended last night’s gig and offers a full report! No one inside Mercury Lounge last night seemed in the least concerned that they were missing the State of the Union. Politics can be TiVOed – Bear In Heaven playing the late show wasn’t to be missed. Before the set even began, they lit dozens of incense sticks and the scented smoke wafted around them before pouring into the audience. With this, coupled with their intensely rhythmic music, Bear In Heaven hopes to promise a ‘fully immersive’ concert experience. At first sight, I wondered whether these Brooklyn boys had spent a smidge too much time at Burning Man and had come away with some hoaky notion of music as spirit guide. But perhaps that’s just my adverse reaction to patchouli. In any case, it fucking worked and they made some magic. Listening to Bear In Heaven’s LP, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, is a far more electronic experience than their live show when the music really grows some teeth. Obviously, that has to do with putting a face to a bleep-bloop, but, seeing that the percussion emanates from a man with a drum-set instead of a machine brings a raw tumult to the music as a whole. And, man, can Joe Stickey man those sticks. He propelled their glorious tribal anthem, ‘Beast In Peace’, into Mercury Lounge’s intimate corners and beckoned everyone into the beat. Though sometimes reedy, lead singer Jon Philpot’s voice cuts through the music’s grand furor. When they played ‘You Do You’, its psychedelically-painted prog caused the room to swoon. Categorizing BIH is problematic – they reside in the same space as Yeasayer but sometimes have sleep-overs at Secret Machines’ house. So, why categorize at all? Just do yourself some good & dwell in the expansive drone.

MP3: Bear In Heaven - Lovesick Teenagers

Our brilliant guest blogger, Britt Lundborg, attended last night’s gig and offers a full report! White Rabbits really whipped it out. And by whipped it out, I mean flew into a full-on furor at Bowery Ballroom last night. Entirely sold out, the room thrashed nearly as much as the Brooklyn-based sextet did on-stage. Super tight on every conceivable level, White Rabbits sounded big and boisterous throughout their fourteen song set, rolling cacophonous waves of percussion over the hungry audience. Highlighting the drums is this year’s “Bear” or “Whale” moniker - a musical trend infecting all sorts of bands from The Dead Weather to Surfer Blood to The Drums. This can feel gimmicky, but the extra rhythmic boost extended White Rabbits’ sonic power and propelled their set far beyond the sounds laid down on It’s Frightening, the band’s current LP. Spoon comparisons trail around White Rabbits given that, yes, there’s a piano here and, also yes, their tightly constructed songs are rife with jangly pop hooks. White Rabbits, however, own a spaciousness entirely their own. A theatricality almost. Lead man, Stephen Patterson, sings with passionate frenzy and plays the piano as though desperately attempting to distract two gunslingers itching to wreak some damage in a wild west saloon. Every time his fingers slid down the keys in a glissando, you ached to hear that ripping flourish again. Right from the start, they seduced the audience into a menacing grip with ‘Foxhunting’ and kept us in that taut cage throughout the set. Once they hit their big tune, ‘Percussion Gun’, we were bouncing like marbles on a drum. When they trooped off stage to mop their brow for the encore, surprise guest Skerrit Bwoy (the Major Lazer hype-man), popped on and wound us up to fever pitch. ‘When I say, White, you say, RABBITS!’ White – RABBITS! White – RABBITS! White – RABBITS! Out tumbled the band for their encore all a-grin and infected us with the euphoria they so clearly felt. Be certain to catch White Rabbits at Coachella Festival.

View more photos & download a White Rabbits tune AFTER THE JUMP…

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