The Avett Brothers at The Fox Oakland, 4/17/10

Some good 'ole average people. Thanks to Inhisgrace for letting me use the picture.

Anyone who hasn’t seen The Avett Brothers perform live is missing out on one of the most dynamic, and talented bands to tour in (my) recent memory. Lucky for those people, they have been consistently putting out material since 2002, and touring the world is not likely to ease up anytime soon. I, myself, am still a couple of albums behind. While The Avett Brothers are touring to promote their newest album, I and Love and You, I’m still learning songs from The Second Gleam. But whatever song from whatever album you claim favorite, they probably played it tonight. Continue reading “The Avett Brothers at The Fox Oakland, 4/17/10”

Show Review: Transatlantic at The Palace of Fine Arts, 4/18/10

The return of the Neal Morse face! Yes!

Everything you really need to know about Transatlantic’s virtuoso performance on Sunday night at The Palace of Fine Arts can be summed up like so:

Six songs, three-and-a-half hours.

If this doesn’t appeal to you, you’re probably done reading. If the thought of such things makes you grin uncontrollably for hours, then this review is for you. Read on, prog nerd. You’re among friends here.

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Show Review: Hot Chip with The xx at The Fox Oakland, 4/16/2010

Hot Chip and their sonic jungle
Hot Chip and their sonic jungle

Anyone passing through the lobby of the Fox Theater last night would have guessed, by the WHOMM WHOMM WHOMM of thudding bass and the polychromatic splashes of color across the glass entrance doors, that the normally-rock-band-friendly theater had been taken over by a massive rave. While there were, indeed, sparkling electronics, trumpeting synthesizers and a solid sense of rhythm, a live band was to be found onstage, with five total members contributing to intricate layers of percussion, electronics, and even vocal duties. The quintet, however, was not a group of tribal-clad or neon-covered techno gods; they were, well, five fellows who love music just as much as the next guy. Collectively, they are known as Hot Chip.

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Single Review: Blur – Fool’s Day

I totally feel like this kid today

I am, and there’s no better word for it, a Blur superfan.  They’ve been my favorite band since I was 17.  That was 1995.  You can do the math.  But all old jokes aside, I was very sad that I couldn’t make the trek to London to stand in line for hours and get one of the 1,000 copies of the new Blur 7″ “Fool’s Day” released for Record Store Day in the UK.  As an old-school collector who spent all my lunch money on imported Blur singles, this was a painful decision.  At least no one could go because of some sort of apocalyptic devil-ash, and I take solace in that.  And in the fact that the internet exits… but I’ll get to the song now. Continue reading “Single Review: Blur — Fool’s Day”

Show Review: Jónsi at Zellerbach Hall, 4/15/10

All I can REALLY say is that you didn’t go to this show, you’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life.  Let me tell you all about it.  Maybe you made it up to yourself by seeing it last night in San Francisco, or you can make it up by traveling to faraway lands.  Really, its worth it. Continue reading “Show Review: Jónsi at Zellerbach Hall, 4/15/10”

Show Review: Atoms For Peace (Thom Yorke) at the Fox Oakland, 4/15/10

What surprises did Thom have that aren't listed? Read on to find out!

An international man of mystery.  No, not that one.  Thom Yorke’s experimental genius continues to grow over the years and has culminated into his current project entitled “Atoms For Peace.”  Bay Area music fans were treated to two performances on what has been a very brief and selective tour, ending with a headlining performance at this year’s Coachella music festival.  As most ticket holders to Wednesday’s performance have already claimed, they did not leave disappointed.  It would be safe to assume that a large majority of Thursday’s audience were veterans of the previous night’s performance.  Given the opportunity, who wouldn’t allow Thom and his new group of lads to dazzle them two nights in a row?

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New Release Round Up, 4/13/10 – 35 Instant Album Reviews

This is the album I made Pouria listen to for skipping last week's column

Sorry to everyone who expected to see this last week. Due to some unexpected laziness I only listened to new releases and didn’t review them. There was general outrage and I won’t do it again. Continue reading “New Release Round Up, 4/13/10 — 35 Instant Album Reviews”

Show Review: Muse with Silversun Pickups at Oracle Arena, 4/14/10

Matt Bellamy of Muse shined lasers at the audience. Is this safe?

Do you miss seeing a rock band put on a real show? Do you miss vast arrays of colored lights, moving platforms, spinning drum sets … do you miss lasers? If you do, Muse is the right band to see right now. Yet hidden behind all of the flashiness of their show is also a strong musical core. The two sides of this fight against each other, though, making the whole thing less than the sum of its parts. The question, though, is how big are those parts?
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Show Review: Atoms For Peace (Thom Yorke) at the Fox Oakland, 4/14/10

Energetic Atoms

I think we’ve reached the point where if Thom Yorke’s name was attached to a juggling festival, the show would be sold out in three seconds flat.  Nobody in music today holds the same trust in the eyes, ears, and hearts of fans more than he does.  All Radiohead fans seem to blindly follow, and with good reason, whether it’s his own project, or if he’s simply recommending some new music.  As one of those followers, although I do like to think I have my eyes open (I haven’t purchased every piece of music he’s recommended, or own every b-side put out!), I was there at the beautiful Fox Theater with everyone else ready to lose ourselves in the live version of the mostly electronic The Eraser. Continue reading “Show Review: Atoms For Peace (Thom Yorke) at the Fox Oakland, 4/14/10”

Show Review: La Roux at The Fillmore, 4/14/10

Elly Jackson doing the British ginger strut at The Fillmore last night.

La Roux performed their third San Francisco concert in less than a year last night at The Fillmore, and it was a roof-shaking culmination of everything that’s been hinted at by their smaller-scale previous appearances.

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