I Fucked Up (also, new shows. Snoop Dogg at Metro?!?)

I accidently deleted 648 show listings from SHOWcal, most of them old, but lots of them new and upcoming. Sorry. But, all's good now. I've added back all that I could find. As an extra bonus, there's quite a lot of new announcements this week. Which you should pay attention to, because some of these will sell out ultra-quick. Like Snoop Dogg at the Metro (?!) and a second early XX show at Lincoln Hall. So go check out the SHOWcal and buy some damn tickets.

Brighton, MA @ Schubas 1/22/10

Brighton, MA is a Chicago buzz band with a faraway name that plays twangy Americana to apparently ravenous crowds and some commercial appeal. Yes, the live act is polished, the songcraft is honed, and word is traveling that this is a band one would be wise to take notice of. Yet, on this night B,MA sounded like a cheap Tom Petty rehash (and I'm no fan of Tom Petty). The interaction with the crowd seemed distant and the music was certainly less than engaging. More than half the crowd headed elsewhere halfway through the set, and I wasn't long behind them.

D

This Weekend in Shows (TWIS)

	Thursday, January 28, 7:00pm		Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin @ Schubas
	Saturday, January 30, 7:30pm		Cold War Kids @ Vic
	Saturday, January 30, 8:00pm		Hercules and Love Affair @ Hideout

Elsinore @ Schuba's 1/22/10

I've seen Elsinore a couple dozen times now, and it's always encouraging to witness the organic evolution of this band's sound from alt-folk Americana to Andrew Bird-inspired indie rock to the current amalgamation of all of the above plus front man Ryan Groff's solo material.  This show was the record release performance for the forthcoming Chemicals EP. Record release shows are always a balancing act between showcasing a band's new music and showcasing the true worth of the band. And this show was no exception. Playing before the largest crowd I've seen at an Elsinore show, the band would have been better served with a longer set or substituting a few of the slower, more melodic EP songs for some of the more rev-happy up tempo material that I've seen crowds a fraction of the size go frantic for. Which says nothing about the quality of the music, as it was top-notch and, as always, expertly and humbly performed. It was simply something of a missed opportunity to expose this shooting star to a wider audience perhaps not accustomed to the material. Then again, Elsinore is not a band to fade quietly from the scene, and even larger crowds are soon to clamor for more appearances. It's inspiring to see such great guys and truly talented performers climbing the hill to wide-spread adoration. I look forward to the upcoming full length this summer, and especially the supporting tour. I know many more are, as well. A-

Record Releases - January 26, 2010

Here are next week's record releases (* means I like it)

January
01/26/10	AFCGT AFCGT	Sub Pop
01/26/10	Animal Collective Campfire Songs (Reissue)	Paw Tracks
01/26/10	Basia Bulat Heart of My Own	Rough Trade
01/26/10	Beach House Teen Dream *	Sub Pop
01/26/10	Citay Dream Get Together	Dead Oceans
01/26/10	Clipd Beaks To Realize	Lovepump United
01/26/10	Four Tet There Is Love in You	Domino
01/26/10	Fucked Up Couple Tracks: Singles 2002 - 2008 *	Matador
01/26/10	Gang Gang Dance God's Money (Vinyl Reissue)	The Social Registry
01/26/10	Gigi Maintenant	Tomlab
01/26/10	Harvey Milk Harvey Milk	Hydra Head
01/26/10	Home Seventeen	Jagjaguwar
01/26/10	Infinite Body Carve Out the Face of My God	PPM
01/26/10	Interference Viva La Interference	The Social Registry
01/26/10	J Tillman Wild Honey b/w Black Barge 7"	Western Vinyl
01/26/10	Jaga Jazzist One-Armed Bandit	Ninja Tune
01/26/10	Jailbreak The Rocker	Family Vineyard
01/26/10	Kevin Barker You and Me	Gnomonsong
01/26/10	Lauren Connors & Darin Gray The Lost Mariner (reissue)	Family Vineyard
01/26/10	Los Campesinos! Romance is Boring *	Arts & Crafts
01/26/10	Magnetic Fields Realism	Nonesuch
01/26/10	Moonface Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums	Jagjaguwar
01/26/10	My Brightest Diamond Shark Remixes	Asthmatic Kitty
01/26/10	Pit Er Pat The Flexible Entertainer	Thrill Jockey
01/26/10	Quail Lungs Dumb DaDaDum 7'	PPM
01/26/10	Retribution Gospel Choir 2	Sub Pop
01/26/10	Robert A. A. Lowe & Rose Lazar Eclipses	Thrill Jockey
01/26/10	Slow Six Tomorrow Becomes You	Western Vinyl
01/26/10	Small Black / Washed Out Split 7"	Lovepump United
01/26/10	Spoon Transference *	Merge
01/26/10	Tape & Bill Wells Fugue	Immune
01/26/10	Thavius Beck Dialogue	Mush
01/26/10	The Silent League … but You've Always Been the Caretaker	Something in Construction
01/26/10	Various Artists Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010	Matador
01/26/10	Various Artists Good God! Born Again Funk	Numero Group
01/26/10	Various Artists The Minimal Wave Tapes	Stones Throw
01/26/10	Volcano, I'm Still Excited Volcano, I'm Still Excited (Vinyl Reissue)	Polyvinyl

New Shows - Concert Calendar

New shows added to the SHOWcal:

2/13 Fucked Up, Kurt Vile @ Viaduct Theatre 3/10 Surfer Blood @ Schubas 3/23 Manchester Orchestra @ Metro 4/01 Spoon, Deerhunter, Micachu & The Shapes @ Aragon Ballroom 4/06 Dashboard Confessional @ House of Blues Chicago 4/10 Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) @ Lincoln Hall 4/10 Major Lazer @ Metro 5/30 Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Metro

15 Second Record Review - Transference by Spoon

This is the hardest album I've had to review in recent memory. Is it that I don't understand where this album is coming from, or is the album confused about what it's trying to be? Several tracks on Transference are literally straight from the demo reel, while the others, including the singles, are much more raw and straight-forward than anything on the almost-masterful Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. New minimalism from a minimalist band. On first blush, this album sounds unfinished, cut-off, and disappointing. Yet on repeated listen, it starts to become comforting, satisfying. Spoon makes its mark by creating subtly dense soundscape from straight up, unprocessed, rock instruments that coalesce into hooky, poppy stimulation. That's not so much the case here. Instead, the Spoon elements are all there, but they just lie there, happy to follow whatever groove comes along rather than bend to the will of the song. It's not at all what I was expecting or hoping for, but it's not altogether unwanted, either. I have to go with my gut on this one, as I still can't seem to wrap my mind around it, and the feeling I get is largely warm and fuzzy. B

Jay Reatard - Dead at 29!

One of the finest live acts is no more. Preliminary word is he died in his sleep. He's had some issues lately, which I need not repeat here. It's a sad day.  NPR release, here.

15 Second Record Review - Contra by Vampire Weekend

Contra will do nothing to change your opinion of this band. Did you find the over-hyped, smug, pseudo-intellectualism of the first album to be a huge turn off? Contra will do nothing to win you over. As a heavy metal fan I long ago learned to tune out dumb lyrics and listen more to the soundscapes and craftsmanship of otherwise annoying music. And this is why VW works for me. Yes, rhyming "horchata" and "balaclava" is painful, but the tighter yet somehow more bombastic world-music textures at play here advance the band into new territory not equalled by any other band, at least not commercially. And that is undeniable. It sure isn't groundbreaking stuff, but its definitely interesting. Not to mention catchy and enjoyable. VW is one of those bands my mind screams at me for liking, but not in a guilty pleasure way. More of in a "these guys are douches" way. Yet their artistry is undeniable. For that, Contra gets an A.

Record Releases January

Usually on Tuesday I like to post notable record releases for the week. This week, what with the holiday hangover still in effect, there's absolutely nothing. But, next week sees at least one hotly anticipated release. As always, buy from Insound.

01/12/10	Ben Kweller Sawdust Man b/w Send Me Down The Road	Bloodshot Records
01/12/10	Blunt Mechanic World Record	Barsuk
01/12/10	Final Fantasy Heartland	Domino
01/12/10	Jason Boesel Hustler's Son	Team Love
01/12/10	Jukebox the Ghost Let Live and Let Ghosts	Rebel Group
01/12/10	Kria Brekkan Uterus Water 7"	Paw Tracks
01/12/10	Laura Veirs July Flame	Raven Marching Band Records
01/12/10	Malakai Ugly Side of Love	Domino
01/12/10	Ok Go Of the Blue Colour of the Sky	Capitol
01/12/10	Polysics Absolute Polysics	Myspace Records
01/12/10	Vampire Weekend Contra **	XL Recordings

** Should be good