Coming Clear blog

Time 2021-11-12 16:11:43

Web Name: Coming Clear blog

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Musically environments Navigate It's Magic Maybe yes, Maybe not Heartbreaking music A true story Album Review Clap Your Hands

Tuning Fork takes issue with Pitchfork and (seemingly) everyone else's infatuation with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Quote:

"Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sounds like David Byrne drunk singing karaoke to a Smiths record."

Ha! That's a little harsh, but I have to agree with the sentiment. I've played the album six or seven times now and it's just not working for me. In fact, I'm irritated. There's all this adulation for a band that to my ears is really nothing extraordinary. There are some fine songs on the album, but nothing hooks me. I'd be at a complete loss if you asked me to recite from memory one lyric or melody from it. Really, I'm just baffled.

If it wasn't for the hype behind CYHSY, I'd probably have listened to the album once or twice and then moved on to something else. What am I missing here? Help me out.

Miu Miu girl

Quite a hectic day/week, but a recap of last night's excellent Sleater-Kinney/Dead Meadow show will be coming soon, along with some thoughts on Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and maybe I'll finally get to reporting on last week's Iron and Wine show (a mixed bag). But for now, some quickies:

The mid-year top 5 lists are rolling in, and Jason and I will have ours next week. (Hint - put your money on Art Brut!) For a change of pace, though, check out the top 5 disappointments of 2005 from Muzzle of Bees.

Carlos D digs Yngwie Malmsteen. Who knew? Among his nine other picks in this Dusted list - Depeche Mode, System of a Down, and Gang Gang Dance. Dusted also has a new interview with Sufjan Stevens.

The Long Blondes made their US debut last night at Cake Shop and, though I don't know them, I hear it was a fantastic show. They've played London's Trash and Our Disco parties and opened for Franz Ferdinand, and they play NYC again Saturday night at the Tribeca Grand. It's free with an RSVP to weare138nyc@yahoo.com. Free PBR from 10-11 too. Afterwards, head over to Capone's in Williamsberg for the Beat Club. High Priest (reportedly the first white hip-hop DJ) and Dan Selzer are spinning, and it's free with free pizza as well - more info here.

What's up with the lack of love for Comets on Fire? I seem to have heard nothing about their shows in NYC this week - last night at the Bowery and tonight at the old Mighty Robot space - and maybe that's because Blue Cathedral came out last year, but it still sounds like it'd knock you over live. Tonight's show is a Todd P production - more details available here.

I definitely like the new White Stripes album, but Keyspan Park is the worst venue possible for them. For Bjork and her massive jasminlive stage show (complete with fireworks), it worked perfectly. For Jack and Meg, and for $45 plus fees? Even with the Shins also on this September 24 bill, Manic Mess said it right. For once, I wish a show was at Webster Hall, but tickets for this one go on sale tomorrow.

Looks like Eleanor Friedberger is giving modeling a shot - She's Bitter reports that she has been named a "Miu Miu girl" for the company's latest ad campaign. Can't say I disapprove.

Banana Nutrament has Metro Area's Birthday Dub of Hugh Masekela's "Mama" available for download. Tasty. Catch Metro Area tonight at Love.

Soviet Panda tells us all how to synch up Daft Punk's Homework with Transformers: The Movie. In his own words - "Fucking unreal. Tell your friends."

The new Rhino 90's boxset Whatever: The 90's Pop Culture Box is perfect discussion fodder, and Stylus gets things started with this Playing God feature. They actually put together their own 7 CD box set (!), and I'm glad to see someone else admit to liking Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5."

The new Scenic

- Annie plays the brand new Scenic (AKA the old Guernica) tonight. After her underwhelming Tribeca Grand show in April, I decided to pass on her show last night at Hiro, even though this tour is with a DJ instead of a band. More in the Monitor's review tells me I made the right call. (EDIT - Peephole was also there and equally unimpressed.)

Much more compelling, save for this oppressive weather, is David Byrne's show at Summerstage tonight. He played quite a bit of Talking Heads material at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, along with a cover of Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" (!). PSNYC has details.

NME has lots of information on the new Franz Ferdinand album, including the title - which will be Franz Ferdinand again, like their chaturbate debut. The band plans to make all their albums self-titled, just changing each cover's color scheme instead. The album is already recorded and mixed, and is due out in September. One of the likely songs - "Eleanor, Put Your Boots Back On." I have to think Ms. Friedberger inspired that title.

Curbed heard a rumor that the Dark Room people might be opening up a new venue on Rivington St. this fall. It's nice to see all these new places popping up.

The Kraftwerk live DVD will be released on September 26 in Germany. No word yet on timing for the US.

In New York's new issue, five NYC DJ's pick their songs of the summer - Gwen Stefani, Tony Yayo, Maroon 5, Rihanna, and ... Lindstrom and Prins Thomas remixing LCD Soundsystem. Tim Sweeney picked that last one, which is the Norwegians' take on "Tribulations." I can't wait to hear it - lately, I've been digging their remix of the Juan Maclean's "Tito's Way." (Sweeney calls Lindstrom "the remixer of the summer.") They'll be spinning in NYC next week.

Juan Maclean actually assembles a full summer mix in the same issue of New York. He covers lots of ground - Fleetwood Mac, Sonic Youth, Arthur Russell, N.W.A., and more. I'm totally loving Maclean's debut LP Less Than Human, due out in two weeks. I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more attention.

Metro Area

So Metro Area was much fun last Friday at Love. It's just a shame more people weren't there! The https://www.jasminelive.online club was only about half full, probably because the party was somewhat underpromoted. Morgan Geist got a lot of attention for Unclassics last year and Metro Area have a sterling track record - if word had gotten out more, I have to think there would have been more energy in the air. That said, most of the people there were dancing, and it was nice to have some space to move around.

From what I could tell, Morgan and Darshan were doing a mix of live and recorded stuff. There was a ton of equipment to go with the record crates, and both of them were busy fiddling around most of the time. (The DJ booth was huge, probably big enough to pass as a studio if you stuck a fridge in the corner.) The music was a bit faster and more stripped-down than Metro Area, but still in the same vein - sort of an amalgam of classic dance music, with Italo/electro-disco, Chicago house, and Detroit techno all creeping in. I'm sure they played some old tunes, but nothing I recognized. It was all quite enjoyable though - especially with the live trumpet! James Duncan, the trumpet player on Geist's remix of "House of Jealous Lovers" (remember that song?), was in the booth and jamming away - a really nice touch.

Though it would've been nice to have had a better view of it all, it sounded great - Love has a fantastic soundsystem, one of the best I've ever heard. The sound was loud and crisp, but not distorted or overwhelming. The dancefloor was nice and big too, and there was this wild cushioned crawlspace next to the bar that was impossibly comfortable. It'd be great to see Love do more events like this - I'd go back there in a second. Their schedule looks pretty light right now, but I'll be keeping an eye on it for sure.

Music and Starbucks

- Reuters reviews Feist at the Bowery Ballroom. I had an opportunity to go to this show, but passed at the last minute. Shame on me, for I missed this rare moment:

"Feist's crowning achievement as a solo performer, however, was her ability to coax a packed room of hipster New Yorkers to imitate a barnyard of farm animals during her whimsical delivery of `Now at Last'."

Another sign of the apocalypse? Bob Dylan and Starbucks are collaborating to exclusively release Live at the Gaslight 1962, on August 30. The recording captures one of Dylan's earliest gigs and includes possibly the first live performance of "Don't Think Twice It's Alright". Say what you want about Dylan getting into the big brass bed with The Man, but at least I won't have to hear Alanis or Coldplay anymore when I get my venti iced latte.

With the news that the Dandy Warhols are releasing a new CD and the Brian Jonestown Massacre are touring, it's my chance to live Dig - perhaps the best movie I've seen in quite a long time. Billboard gives us the details on the new Dandys record; Upcoming.org has BJM's tour stops, including the Bowery Ballroom on July 30. Unbelievably, this show is not sold out. If you've seen Dig, you know this gig can't be missed.

The Hot Rock

Last Thursday's Sleater-Kinney + Dead Meadow show was the first time in a while I was actually excited for Roseland - not just the bands, but the venue itself. I'd seen S-K there once before, but that was before the arena-ready sound of The Woods. They've said their new direction was inspired by the large-venue shows they did with Pearl Jam, and I was looking forward to hearing the new songs in a big room. Dead Meadow's sludgy rock was more than ready for the part as well - they're a band you almost want the sound a little muddy for.

Of course, muddy only begins to describe it for when Dead Meadow kicked things off; it sounded like the band was playing at the bottom of a metal drum (in the best of ways) - the drums thudded, the basslines shuddered, and the solos were extra echoey. The extra guitarist new to the band for Feathers was missing on Thursday, but the core three definitely killed it. In fact, I may even prefer the smaller lineup; with more space to stretch out, and the drum fills were a little looser and the basslines more rubbery. Though the endless riffage usually keeps my attention, I found myself focusing more on the rhythm section this time. It was nice to hear the faster Howls From The Hills version of "Everything's Going On," but the setlist seems secondary with Dead Meadow. It's just a ton of fun to watch them jam.

But make no mistake, Sleater-Kinney were the headliner. There were lots of bargers in the house, making it plenty tight by the time S-K walked out to chirping birds and dropped into "The Fox." The setlist was very heavy on The Woods, and I thought the new songs sounded fantastic live. Only "Night Light" went unplayed from the new album, and only "Steep Air" felt flat live. The interplay between Carrie and Corin drives S-K's older material, but the new stuff is Janet, Janet, Janet live, and her fills never let up. Carrie and Corin still shone though, especially on "What's Mine Is Yours" and the megajam that bridged "Let's Call It Love" and "Entertain" at the end of their set. That segue was a nice surprise, topped only by "Dig Me Out" popping out the back of a second encore cover of Danzig's "Mother." (Alas the "Mother" cover works better on paper.)

The band didn't touch The Hot Rock, Call The Doctor, or All Hands On The Bad One on Thursday, and that sort of sucked, but I also half-expected it. There's a real divide between S-K's old and new sounds, and it's difficult to reconcile the two on stage. It might be why a ragged "Light Rail Coyote" didn't come together till near its end, and why "One More Hour" sounded rough. That's not to say the old tunes should be off limits - "Sympathy" and "Dig Me Out" were two of the night's best songs - but I think the band is still figuring out how to strike the best sonic balance. And I'm more than happy to hang on for the ride. I expect big things from Sleater-Kinney shows, and this one delivered as usual.

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