Tearist’s debut record, Living: 2009-Present, is one of the riskiest debut records in the history of the medium. Instead of taking the traditional route of going into a recording studio, or even bringing a laptop into the rehearsal space to make a solid, consistent sounding record, this band opted to make a record that consists entirely of audience recordings of live shows. The end result is, although a mixed bag, one of the most interesting records that I have heard in a long time.
Continue reading “Album Review: Tearist — Living: 2009-Present”
Tag: review
Show Review: Jay Brannan, David Smallen, Jhameel at Bottom Of The Hill, 1/21/2011
Having traveled 3,000+ miles from San Francisco to Florida to see Jay Brannan in September, because I just couldn’t wait to see him again, you could say I’m a big fan. Suffice it to say the show Friday night was the highlight of my week.
Continue reading “Show Review: Jay Brannan, David Smallen, Jhameel at Bottom Of The Hill, 1/21/2011”
Show Review: Club Not So Silent Night 2010 w/ The Temper Trap, Sleigh Bells, The Limousines, A Silent Film at Mezzanine, 12/09/10
For the last few years, local alternative rock radio station Live 105 has managed to put together one of the most interesting new music showcases out there. It’s called Club Not So Silent Night, and it happens the day before their much bigger event, simply named Not So Silent Night. Where the original Not So Silent Night is a showcase for already well known acts that receive substantial radio play to get up and play for the masses, the “Club” version features newer acts that wouldn’t normally be getting this kind of push from a commercial radio station, and the audience gets have bragging rights by saying that you saw the band in front of 900 people, instead of 10,000. (Case in point: 2008’s edition featured Vampire Weekend & The Cold War Kids and 2009’s featured Passion Pit & The Gossip) If the trend continues, this show was the last chance to see at least one of these acts in such a small space.
Album Review: Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Expanded)
When I heard that Bitte Orca was being re-released I was a bit hesitant to say the least. What exactly could the Dirty Projectors possibly have to offer that would warrant an expanded re-issuing of this highly underrated album?
Continue reading “Album Review: Dirty Projectors — Bitte Orca (Expanded)”
Show Review: The Dirty Projectors, Dominique Young Unique at The Fillmore, 9/25/10
About 18 months ago, I saw TV On The Radio play a show at The Fox Theater. The opening band was a group called Dirty Projectors. I thought they had a lot of brilliant ideas, but seemed a bit “loose.” The songs never seemed to end, they just crashed, but they had some great singers and it looked like, once they took the time to solidify their sound, they were going to become great. A short while later, a record called Bitte Orca was released, a stunning blend of I-Three’s inspired reggae, 21st century classical composition and indie pop. It became my favorite record of 2009. I was curious to see how they would bring this sound to the live show, especially after seeing their live show before the finished the record. After three visits that sold out rather quickly, I finally got to see it.
Album Review: No Age – Everything In Between
In 2008, No Age became media darlings with their sophomore release, Nouns: a fuzzed out mixture of noise, pop and punk. Two years later they’ve follow it up with Everything In-Between. The adolescent angst under riding Nouns has now been filtered into a much more mature and complex sound in Everything.
Continue reading “Album Review: No Age — Everything In Between”
Show Review: Wolf Parade with Moools and Zola Jesus at The Fox Theater, 7/28/2010
Friday night at The Fox Theater in Oakland, the Bay Area had Wolf Parade back in town for the tour for their 3rd album, Expo 86 ,which came out last month. The guys in the band are made up from quite a few other successful bands such as The Handsome Furs, Sunset Rubdown, and Hot Hot Heat. There’s an Arcade Fire song under their belt, among others projects as well. That’s some major Canadian indie rock street cred. Continue reading “Show Review: Wolf Parade with Moools and Zola Jesus at The Fox Theater, 7/28/2010”
Show Review: Lilith at Shoreline Amphitheater, 7/5/10
There has been a lot of controversy over the resurrected Lilith tour, including complaints of mis-marketing, poor ticket sales, and a general lack of consistency in the line ups. When it comes down to it, though, none of this matters when it comes to the actual event. I was there to account these events first hand, and I honestly felt that the show I went to was quite successful. It was actually refreshing to attend a festival that was so well organized, as well as such a well behaved audience.
Continue reading “Show Review: Lilith at Shoreline Amphitheater, 7/5/10”
Album Review: The Roots – how i got over
The Roots have had an unheard of career trajectory for the hip-hop world. They quietly came onto the scene in 1993 with an organic form of hip hop that was created entirely with live instruments, and were often thrown in with the jazz/rap fusion acts like A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets. Although they didn’t reach the same level of success as those two acts, they were definitely one of the most determined acts in hip hop, touring non-stop, which is rare in hip-hop, and eventually became one of the most revered live acts in the country. They managed to build a following the old fashioned way, and have managed to become a little more successful with every passing year.
Fast forward to 2010, and The Roots are practically a household name, with several hit singles under their belt at this point as well as an extremely high profile gig as the house band in Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Their latest record, how i got over, might be the record to finish that process off, and become that household name.
Show Review: Greg Behrendt’s “Bring The Rock”
Spinning Platters is, according to the banner, is a “Community Of Bay Area Music Nerds.” So when I learned of this show at Cobb’s, I got very excited. The premise is comedians telling stories about music, and singing a song relevant to the story with a live band. Of course, this event causes my music nerd soul to glow.
Continue reading “Show Review: Greg Behrendt’s “Bring The Rock””