Spinning Platters – Page 351 – Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds

New Release Round Up, 11/3/09 – 38 Instant Album Reviews

Someone needs to build this guy a Wikipedia page.

Pouria is in Korea for the next couple of weeks. He’s been studying the Pimsleur Korean tapes to prepare himself for this trip, so when I asked him if he was going to have time to do his new release column before he left, he muttered something in Korean that I’m assuming was a polite no. As a reaction, I decided to write the longest New Release Round Up yet! And glad I did, because buried near the bottom is my favorite album of the week. Continue reading “New Release Round Up, 11/3/09 — 38 Instant Album Reviews”

Album Review: Wallpaper – DooDoo Face

Wallpaper’s debut album “DooDoo Face” thinks it’s from the 70’s but really it’s not. They didn’t have Auto-Tune way back then, I mean c’mon they didn’t even have computers back then. DooDoo face thinks that it’s from the 70’s with it’s horns and funky beat. Shaft would be proud at this funky dinosaur of a record. Wallpaper is basically Eric “Ricky Reed” Frederick. I think it’s still classified as a side project, and as a huge Facing New York fan I am going to try really hard not to talk about how I think Wallpaper/ Taking Back Sunday/ UC Berkeley killed Facing New York. Continue reading “Album Review: Wallpaper — DooDoo Face”

Show Review: Art Brut with Princeton at Cafe Du Nord, 10/30/09 (Late Show)

When Art Brut comes to town, I get excited. Not only do I love the band, I also see them as the kind of band that tends to quit on the U.S. They blast onto the scene with the exceptional album Bang Bang Rock & Roll, and I saw them touring to promote that album four or five times. Their second album, It’s a Bit Complicated, was a relative disappointment. I’ve seen this happen with other British bands: their second album doesn’t perform well over here, and then I only get to hear about UK and European tours, sadly waiting for the one day they might return to our shores. Instead, Art Brut teamed up with producer Frank Black for the phenomenal Art Brut vs. Satan, and they have continued their attack on America. Continue reading “Show Review: Art Brut with Princeton at Cafe Du Nord, 10/30/09 (Late Show)”

Show Review: Melt-Banana with All Leather and We Be the Echo at Slim’s, 10/30/2009

ichirou — Ichirou Agata, guitarist of Melt-Banana

There were a great deal of shows to visit this All Hallows’ Eve’s Eve, ranging from electronica in arenas to punk rock in bars; despite the drastic number of shows involving bands that I’d seen on one-to-a-few occasions, it was Melt-Banana that I ended up seeing. It seemed rather appropriate; on the eve of the holiday most responsible for darkness, chaos and the warding off of evil spirits, what better occasion to see a trio of Japanese noise-punk musicians with their own sets of sonic banshee howls and thundering rhythms? Being an avid fan of experimental music and Japanese power noise, I had a feeling that this was going to be a rather exciting show; I was not prepared, however, for how wild it got inside.

Continue reading “Show Review: Melt-Banana with All Leather and We Be the Echo at Slim’s, 10/30/2009”

Show Review: Regina Spektor at The Fox Oakland, 10/30/2009

Sadly, the best picture I could get from the back of the room

For some reason I always forget how good Regina Spektor is, but when the lights went down in The Fox Theater and the crowd went insane I felt a surge of pure joy and anticipation just like a die-hard fan. Then when Regina, beaming at the crowd’s welcome, started into “The Calculation” I started to feel tears well up. I may be over emotional this week, but still, it was one of those perfect moments that you just knew everything was going to be wonderful, at least for the next hour and a half. Continue reading “Show Review: Regina Spektor at The Fox Oakland, 10/30/2009”

Show Review: The Dodos with Ruby Suns at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10/29/09

Meric

The Dodos are a band that seem on the cusp of something big right now. Getting Phil Ek, my favorite indie rock producer of all time, on board for their newest record is a sign of big things to come. That record, Time to Die, is heavily focused on soothing vocals melodies and crazy guitar playing from Meric Long, accompanied by strong rhythms from drummer Logan Kroeber. What could this sound like in a live setting? Continue reading “Show Review: The Dodos with Ruby Suns at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10/29/09”

New Release Round Up, 10/27/09 – 24 Instant Album Reviews

Listened to Wolfmother; bought one of these.

Not very many albums this week. I am behind at work and going to South Korea next week. I am stoked and without further ado: Continue reading “New Release Round Up, 10/27/09 — 24 Instant Album Reviews”

Album Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I’m what you might call an anomaly. I’m female; relatively young, and I enjoy the sensual seduction of the undead. And yet, the hold that Twilight gained over a generation of young (and young at heart) girls doesn’t apply to me. I came of age as a disciple of the great Anne Rice, and for me, there is no other leading man than Lestat. That being said, there’s no reason why I can’t enjoy the music inspired by the movie based on the novels by Stephenie Meyer. Continue reading “Album Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”

Show Review: The Heavy at Slim’s, 10/27/2009

Mid-afternoon on the day on the concert I started feeling ill. Time came to start heading to the city and I told myself I was going no matter what. Driving along the 24 I see a sign that the Bay Bridge is closed…what the heck? This can’t be right. A quick call to 511 confirmed that the bridge was indeed closed.

Suddenly I had the perfect excuse not to go. I was sick and the bridge was closed; no one could blame me for not going. But something inside me, quite possibly the contrarian drive I have, told me if the bridge was closed I had to go. Continue reading “Show Review: The Heavy at Slim’s, 10/27/2009”

Show Review: Amy Millan and Bahamas at Cafe Du Nord, 10/28/09

Amy

When Amy Millan steps away from one of her band projects (Stars, Broken Social Scene), she morphs from indie chanteuse into a roadhouse country singer. There’s plenty of lyrics about drinking, loneliness and hitting the road. I knew right away that this would be a pretty mellow show, and I was definitely proven right by the end of the night. Continue reading “Show Review: Amy Millan and Bahamas at Cafe Du Nord, 10/28/09”