Breakers Broken @ Subterranean 5/19/9

Ugh. My friend from the Vindits (see my review on Motorhome) warned me not to stick around to listen to Breakers Broken. Wish I listened. The crowd should have been a red flag, as you don't often encounter groups of teenage suburban girls in all their suburban "see? I'm just as cool as the girls on The Hills!" garb over at Subterranean. Smelly uber-hipsters, yes, but not suburbanite teens with fake IDs trying to look like they're not 17. Anywhoots, this band manages to combine all the talent of prerecorded tape loops of trance-hop with the self-indulgent crooning of Snow Patrol. Sound like a winner to you? Then pop that collar, tilt that graffiti cap, polish up your so-ironic gold chains and ultra-white hightops and move to Naperville my friends, because they must be swimming in this shit. To be fair,  the drummer seemed awfully talented to be stuck in such a train wreck, so I have some hope that when he moves out of daddy's basement he's able to glom onto a real band. The other two, I'm fine with never hearing from again. 

Value/Cost = $0/7 = 0% = F

Animal Collective @ Riverside in Milwaukee, 05/19/09 (or "O Hippe, Where Art Thou?")

Animal Collective played at the Riverside in Milwaukee on May 19th.  They originally were to play at The Pabst Theatre, but demand for tickets was so high that the show was moved to the larger Riverside.   Overall, the Animal Collective concert was probably a 5.5/10.   I think the crowd was the most annoying concert crowd I've seen in a while.   I forgot how many hippies are into this band.  The things that killed me about this concert were: (1) I've seen better bands up here with far less people at their shows, and (2) the hippies there didn't even seem that familiar with the music -- they were just there to hippie dance.  They actually were hippie dancing in the aisles before the show even started.  I kept hoping for Eric Cartman to save me.  Another thing that annoyed me was that everyone was standing for the first 20 minutes of the concert.  Really?  Standing?  Standing to see what, exactly?  It's three guys at tables with a bunch of lights.  Not exactly riveting to watch.  The band lost the crowd after that first 20 minutes.  People began sitting down and then only standing for the "hits."  I stayed sitting.  The sound was pretty good, but then  again, how could it really be bad?  90% of it was pre-recorded samples.   Overall, the show was interesting to see once.  And while I appreciated their ability to combine their different songs and flow from one to the other and back again, I don't see myself going to another one of their concerts.  Just too many hippies.

Motorhome @ Subterranean 5/19/9

I got to Subterranean too late to see the band I intended to see, the Vindits, so I happened to listen to Motorhome instead. Now, at first I was amped because I remember Motorhome from my high school years in the early to mid 1990s. I saw them by chance at the Metro, then heard a review of that show on Sound Opinions, who loved it as much as I did. I ran out and bought Sex Vehicle, which I still listen to occasionally to this day. I had no idea they were still around. Turns out, they're not. No, this wasn't THAT Motorhome. Instead, to my surprise, the band I saw this time is an alt-country band that my friend from the Vindits summarized as "Kings of Leon with Lemmy Kilmister as the singer." I think it's more accurate to say veteran bar band meets the Silver Jews, but whatever. They're very talented, know how to boogie, and pumped up the small, quiet crowd. It was an unexpected treat, and that deserves a lot of credit.

Value/Cost = $5/7 = 72% = C-

The Sounds @ Double Door 5/7/9

I saw two dramatically different Swedish bands on back-to-back nights. First it was Opeth, next it was The Sounds. Better known as the soundtrack to this Geico commercial, the Sounds can't seem to decide if it's riot grrrl punk or bubble gum pop. I might believe that to be an accurate metaphor for Swedish music in general, were it not for the superb assault of the Opeth show just one night prior. I'm not very familiar with The Sounds' music, but it was a sold out show of people who looked vaguely like me, so perhaps I'm the one out of line on this review, but I found the set to be staid, dull, and interminable. Not quite what one looks for in a pop-punk show. We left before the end of the set, but the throngs of mesmerized fans quickly filled in our vacant spot.

Value:Cost = $10/15 = 0.67 = D+

Local band Hey Champ opened, and varied from tolerable new nu-wave to really very good electronica-dance. They play Lollapalooza this summer, and I wouldn't mind seeing them again.

Opeth @ House of Blues, 5/6/9

This is the front runner for best live show of 2009. 

I used to listen to Opeth's Orchid all the damn time. I sampled a few of their albums since then, but not with any great affection. Looking at the band's website now, it shocks me that Orchid came out all the way back in 1994 (damn, I'm old), and they've released 10 albums since then. What a fool I've been not to pay closer attention.

What made this show so amazing? First and foremost, front man Mikael Akerfeldt is hilarious in a dead-pan Swedish sort of way. If you've ever watched Metalocalypse, think of Skwisgaar Skwigelf with a Bob Newhart or Johnathan Katz dead-pan sense of humor. There's no way to recapture the brilliance in print - the delivery was at least 50% of the amazingness - but banter ranged from discussions about Chewbacca to volunteering to get things shot into his ass.  

Oh, and the music. Sound, stage presence, unbelievably tight and competent musicianship by every member were simply overwhelming. I haven't been to a show in ages where I got chills from how fantastically every element was pulled together. Akerfeldt is the only original member of Opeth left, but he has surrounded himself with some of the finest musicians in metal toady, and boy do they know how to get a crowd to lap it all up. Consider me one of the begging drones, for I was completely transfixed. Considering I only recognized about 3 tunes, I'm definitely going to go get the back catalog. If that's what a live show is intended to do, then mission accomplished.

With this post, I'm starting a new rating system: Value:Cost ratio.  This show cost $30 (included was Enslaved, as the opener).  I would easily pay $50 to see Opeth do it again. Therefore, my rating is:

$50:$30 = 167% = A++

Enslaved @ House of Blues 5/6/9

I haven't listened to an Enslaved album since about 1998.  I think I may have saw them live at Milwaukee Metal Fest around that time, but I can't really remember.  If it weren't for this show, I might not have remembered this band ever existed. During the show, I kept thinking that the black metal scene has changed quite a bit since then, but it wasn't until the very last song of the 45-minute set that I realized what it was.  Sure, the corpse face paint is now gone, as are the bullet belts, chains and spikes (at least on stage - some in the crowd seem to be stuck in the '90s metal scene) - but that's not all that's changed.  I don't really keep up with metal at all any more, but I got to see (local band) Nachtmystium last winter at the Empty Bottle, and they were terrific. Enslaved seems to have just been past by. Their sound is a lot more polished, and their newer material is hardly black metal at all. And that's when it hit me. On their last song, they finally played something I recognized, and it was the stripped-down, treble-heavy, all screaming affair that coincides with what I grew up to know as black metal.  The rest of their set is some sort of black-metal hybrid that can't help but sound more commercial (as if anybody mainstream would buy this stuff).  It's not what "black metal" was meant to be. After all, the front man of Mayhem killed himself, in part, because he was starting to attract fans. Black metal has matured, and seems to have moved past the gothic stage show it once was and towards concentrating on the music itself, as it should be. Unfortunately, for Enslaved, this seems to have escaped their capabilities. I admit I haven't sampled much current black metal to get a sense of the scene today, but if Nachtmysitum is any example, there are bands representing the movement far better these days.

Chairlift @ Metro 4/23/9

Chairlift opened for Peter Bjorn and John.  I have to admit I like their hit single, but it's become a guilty pleasure at this point.  I was in line getting my beer wrist band when they played it, and I found that I wasn't too disappointed not to see it.  Unfortunately, I had to sit through the rest of the set.  I have their album, and now I've seen 1/3 of their set.  Both are totally worth skipping. It's a 1 hit wonder.

Peter Bjorn & John @ Metro 4/23/9

My good friend saw PBJ the night before I did, up in Milwaukee.  I asked him what he thought of the show, since I was seeing them that night for the first time.  He said "for the first 10 minutes, I thought they were the most pretentious band in the world. Then I realized they were just foreign dorks, and I suddenly liked them."  So, I had that thought in my head as they took the stage.  It's an accurate description.  I didn't like that they droned on and on about how they've been together for 10 years and put out something like 18 albums (which they droned on and on about in a subsequent radio interview I heard). But, I did like that they had a lot of banter.  It was weird that they stopped playing "Young Folks" 2/3 of the way through, then walked off the stage. But I thought if they came back on stage and picked up where they left off - and finished the song - it would be one of the most amazing set endings I've ever seen.  Instead, they came back on stage and played noise jam out shit for 15 minutes, then talked for about 10 more minutes, then played 4 more songs.  It was a very weird show, befitting the band, and I have to say I rather enjoyed it.

Mates of State @ Metro 4/11/9

I used to love Mates of State, and still really have strong like for them. But, their live shows are so hit-and-miss.  Don't get me wrong, there's not much better in life than a great live rendition of Fraud in the 80s, but this band is a lot like another keyboard-playing female-vocal band, Headlights in that they rarely sound good live. Of the half-dozen or so times I've seen MoS, I think they were best at Lollapalooza in 2008.  I know, shocking, right?! There was something about the sun, the receptive crowd, and the aw-shucks but having fun nature that is MoS that was really working that day.  This show at the Metro, they just seemed tired.  I think their kid was at the show, so maybe it was the culmination of a long tour with offspring-in-tow, but the new addition of strings, guitar, and backup vocalists really added to the impression of the dynamic married duo not being able to carry the show this night, which was a shame.

Black Kids @ Metro 4/11/9

I would have been happy never to see Black Kids live. That "not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance" song is the most annoying song I've heard in the last 18 months. I can't see how anybody is buying the hype. "Ever since I was a little girl"??? Give me a fucking break.  This band is garbage.

Lucero @ Metro 4/10/9

Lucero headlined with Titus Andronicus as its opener.  It was sold out.  I was surrounded by a mix of hipster-hypsters and alt-country-frat-assholes. Maybe I was saddened by the shit that was Titus Andronicus live, but there's no place on Earth for a band like Lucero. At least not after 1991. We already have one Kid Rock, and that's one too many. I walked out after 1.5 songs, with disgust.

Titus Andronicus @ Metro 4/10/9

Now here's a show I was really looking forward to. A last-minute change in plans afforded me an opportunity to go check this band out - something I hungered for since I so adore The Airing of Grievances.  Live, however, this band is shit. Nothing was mic'd properly, and I don't think it was the engineer's fault since the opener and headliner sounded perfect.  No, this is a band that needs a lot more practice honing their live act. Non-stop screaming into the mic might be fine if you're going for the hard-core aesthetic, but you sound like Trail of Dead on album, kids.

Bloc Party @ Aragon 3/28/9

I've seen Bloc Party a lot. Maybe too much. I even missed a flight home from Austin and sat in the 109 degree sun in order to catch their act. I love the band, but the show is getting old. I think crowd at the Aragon thought Rascal Flats or some shit was playing, because I've never seen so many fratastic and fratastics-in-training at an "indie" show.  It was annoying.  Of course, trying to hear anything through the mud-filled-hollow-shit-tube that is the Aragon sound system didn't help any.  Going to this show also made me a liar since I vowed never to return after a (surprisingly decent) Iron Maiden reunion tour in the early 2000s.  I was surprised that the building was still standing. Imagine my shock to see that the place has actually been fixed up quite nicely. Now if only they could improve the sound, and keep the douche bags out, I might consider returning. 

Rattattat @ Metro 3/23/9

The last, and only previous time, I saw Rattatat, was at The Hideout Block Party last summer. Right up against the stage-right speaker array. It was deafening, but hugely entertaining. For an instrumental live-guitar duo, they sure know how to put on a show. Despite looking like Pearl Jam cast-offs, the boys know how to string together some dance loops and frenzy up a willing crowd. This show at the Metro was no exception. Meaning, ball of sweat and not wanting it to be over.

Ladytron @ Metro 4/4/9

Taking their turn headlining the Ladytron/The Faint double bill on the night I attended, Ladytron put on a good, if uninspired, show. I've never seen them live before, so wasn't sure what to expect. It certainly wasn't as dancy as expected, and the energy of the band was very low. Again, I don't know if this is per usual.  There was virtually zero banter with the crowd, which is a big pet peave, so that was disappointing. The sound was excellent, however, and the crowd was ready and willing to break out into joyous rocking, but the mood of the band seemed to keep everyone in check.

The Faint @ Metro 4/4/9

Last time I saw The Faint it was at Canopy Club in Urbana, IL. It was terrible. Nothing against Canopy Club, which is a pretty decent venue, especially for central Illinois, but The Faint just didn't draw enough to fill the room. And when the Canopy Club isn't full, it feels like an airplane hanger, especially for a band like The Faint which feeds on the energy of the dancing crowd. 

So, there was a low bar to meet this time.  First time I saw them, was also at the Metro, but that was in support in the far superior Wet from Birth, which made for a superior show.  This time around, it was decent - but because the new album (and the few new songs played) pales in comparison to that masterpiece, it was merely mediocre.

Fucked Up @ Empty Bottle 2/14/9

Fucked Up, is one of those bands that has to be seen live, if only to see what antics the front man Damian Abraham will do.  At the Empty Bottle this night, it meant he stripped down to his underwear, crowd surfed (or attempted to), and slid down the railing on his naked belly.  Oh, and he hugged me with his sweaty beer belly and rubbed my head.  He also screamed a lot.  For a fan of this long-running band, its current iteration is a lot of fun.  I'm a noob when it comes to FU, but I love the new album, and the show was a lot of fun. Others in attendance didn't share my enthusiasm. 

A/V Murder @ Empty Bottle 2/14/9

This was the opener to Fucked Up, and there's not a whole lot to say other than they had a ton of energy and were in serious need for a new vocalist. This was punk/hardcore mixed with shred, which on paper sounds awful, but it almost worked pretty well live.

Los Campesinos! @ Logan Square Auditorium 2/7/9

I'm writing about this show in early May instead of early February when I actually saw it, but from what I can remember Los Campesinos! was a lot better the first time I saw them at Empty Bottle. It might have been the more intimate digs over at the Bottle, but I think it also had a lot more to do with the band having something to prove in winter 2007 rather than winter 2009.  They seemed complacent, and all-around just not as fun.  On record they sound either fun or whiny, and I guess I've seen both sides of that live, now, too.

Album releases - May 2009

5/19:

Headlights Remixes

Iron and Wine Around The Well

John Vanderslice Romanian Names

White Rabbits It's Frightening

5/26:

Grizzly Bear Veckatimest

Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Sunn o))) Monoliths and Dimensions

Les Savy Fav @ Epiphany 1/31/9

Les Savy Fav is one of those bands that you have to see if only for its frontman, Tim Harrington, whose antics are legendary (no need to repeat them here). This show didn't disappoint, as Tim was 90% nude, standing atop the front left speaker array, acting his crazy self.  We got to the show awfully late as we had been to the season opener of Roller Derby before hand, but what we saw was pretty darned good.  Plus, it was my first trip to Epiphany, which is beautiful and instantly one of my favorite Chicago venues.