Show Review: Fuck Buttons with Growing and Chen Santa Maria at Bottom Of The Hill, 11/13/09

fuck_buttons
... and the horse they rode in on.

A noise-rock show is a different sort of animal than most musical performances that one usually attends: it’s mostly improvisational, there usually isn’t a wild light show, the performers hardly ever (if ever) look at the audience, and it’s about ten times louder than the last Muse concert you went to, even when you stood next to the P.A. and forgot your earplugs. It’s also likely that you will not be able to predict the level of fanaticism that will be inspired by even the slightest change in the steamroller of sound that is the band’s performance; the crowd could just as easily metamorphose into a frenzied circle pit as it could remain stock-still in silent contemplation of the wall of noise barreling through them. For Fuck Buttons, it ran the full gamut: loud, soft, crazed and quiet, and it was beautiful and destructive chaos all at once. Continue reading “Show Review: Fuck Buttons with Growing and Chen Santa Maria at Bottom Of The Hill, 11/13/09”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: November 11th-November 17th

Opening for Electric Six!!!!
Opening for Electric Six!!!!

More things to do in the Bay Area. All of them good. The greatest band ever is playing the Warfield on Friday, but here are better things to do.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: November 11th-November 17th”

New Release Round Up, 10/20/09 – 42 Instant Album Reviews

Undisputed winner of the holiday value for money championships
Undisputed winner of the holiday value for money championships

“Fill in for Pouria” they said, “yes” said I.  Little did I know what I was in for. Of course being someone who appreciates Hannah Montana but not the super-cool indie bands this could be a little different.

I’ll start by saying I wish I could have done this last week when the Editors In This Light and On This Evening was released.  I loved their last album and eagerly awaited this one, I planned to write a full review but in the end could only muster one word (or perhaps many versions of one word) – unlistenable (which may, in fact, not even be a word).  So there you go, I managed that review.  Now onto this week: Continue reading “New Release Round Up, 10/20/09 – 42 Instant Album Reviews”