Saturday - LouFest 2011

Kings Go Forth

The weekend began with Jon Hardy and the Public. I heard a rumor that they practiced the entire set fifteen times including turning off the AC at Jon Hardy's house to experience the predicted heat. It paid off because they sounded great. Near the end of the set, one of their guitarists had to quickly change clothes and go get ready for a set with his other band, Troubadour Dali.
Troubadour Dali rocked the house (err... lawn) with their psychedelic music. They definitely helped prove that St. Louis does in fact have great local music, something that everyone in this area should recognize.
Sleepy Sun played some of their heavy, long jams. The best way to describe this is 'epic.'
All nine members of Kings Go Forth appeared clad in white uniforms. Their funky soul music was a great contrast to Sleepy Sun, pouring out love and sunshine. It was incredibly danceable, as I quickly found out.
Dom was, although limited, very cool including a special cover of The Cure's "Boys Don't Cry." Not that it matters in the long run, but the singer totally looks like a girl. Girl hair, pants, and voice. It was a little awkward but contributed to the absurdity of their music.
Surfer Blood played a good combination of fun and dark songs including some new tracks that have yet to be released. The frontman needs to learn to not talk quite so much but still a very fun set.
Due to hurricane Irene, The Roots could not make it. However, ?uestlove graced us with his DJ set of awesomeness. Boasting that it covered 85 years worth of music, this was a great big dance party at LouFest.
Deerhunter appeared calm and cool on stage while they played many fan favorites. The bass player looked pretty stoned to me but it certainly didn't prohibit him from playing some amazing bass lines. After announcing to the audience that this would be the last song they played on tour for a long time, the singer realized they still had thirty minutes left in their set. This mistake caused some people to leave that area but didn't take away from a great set.
To end saturday, The Hold Steady took over the blue stage. The sun had gone down at this point, making the stage even more of a focus. Belting out lyrics like a dictator giving a speech, singer Craig Finn was full of energy, frequently repeating lines away from the microphone and moving his limbs around. They played a wonderful set despite last year's departure of their keyboard player. It featured a great combination of old and new material.

...soihadto... - Adventure Stories (Not Based On Fact?)

...soihadto... (that's their actual name) has created the soundtrack for an incredibly epic science fiction movie. Don't look for the movie online; it hasn't even been conceived yet. But I have confidence that it's a movie I will eventually take my grandkids to go see in the distant future.
This is made of songs that start out simple and then build until it's the most rocking thing you can possibly imagine. Until you go to the next track.
The drums are a fantastic foundation for epic guitar solos without being excessive. It never reaches that moment of "too much." The guitars have some pretty cool effects that are used sparingly and frequently in the background. I'm also pretty curious about the backwards voices on "Searching For The Cure" (I wonder who's dead this time?)
 I would call this a progressive album because of the long length of the tracks and the way that the songs can change within one of those tracks. On the other hand, some of the shorter songs have the raw energy of a punk band. Progressive punk? Is that a thing? Maybe it is now. Whatever it is, I like it.
Something that's fun to do, especially with instrumental music, is to close your eyes and visualize an imaginary movie that would go with the music. I do this at concerts sometimes. In my head this album is full of alien assassinations, cool cars, a lot of running, and shifty government contracts. I can't wait for it to be in theaters. What do you see when you listen to it? One could write a whole trilogy of films while you listen to this album.
"Adventure Stories (Not Based On Fact?)" is out now on Grape Juice Records.

Wilco - I Might

An acoustic guitar and a growling bass start off this single from Wilco's forthcoming album. The drum's create a real great stomp beat and the organ in the background makes me think of Elvis Costello's "My Aim is True" album. The lyrics on this song are abstract and beautiful in a style that is pretty signature Tweedy. This song makes me happy despite hearing Jeff sing "It's alright. You won't set the kids on fire. But I might." But, whatever, it's alright.
The B-side is a cover of Nick Lowe's "I Love My Label." This song is a new recording but if you close your eyes it just might take you back to 1977. This song is of course a tongue-in-cheek joke for Wilco. Having gone through much label trouble with the release of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," Wilco is finally on their own and Jeff Tweedy is his own boss. "We're one big happy family," he sings.
"I Might" is out now on dBpm Records and their new album "The Whole Love" is out on September 27th.

The Lower 48 - Everywhere To Go

The opening track to this folk-rock EP, "Transmisson Pt. 1," begins with a single acoustic guitar. It slowly builds adding two vocalists, a second guitar, a little piano and violin before breaking back down again. "Sunshine on the moon makes me wonder what it's like back home." This song is the perfect start to an EP about traveling.

"Mama's Eye" showcases Sarah Parson's cool, calm style of singing as she tells a story of dreaming to leave home and fly away. The viola is dramatic in a way that only classical instruments can be. 

There are more wonderful vocals on "Bedroom," a bit of a downer about the sorrowful thoughts that can be had while lying awake in bed.  

"Miles From Minnesota" is one of my favorite songs right now and definitely the highlight of the album. It's a fast-talking duet about a couple planning the trip of their dreams. It's also the title track to this fine disc. The two singers, although very different in style, sound very awesome next to each other. They don't have to be the same to be a great match (kind of like relationships, the subject of the song.) 

This seamlessly transitions into "Transmission Pt. 2" which contains the lyric "Don't stop the car." I don't know if that car actually stopped but I know my CD did, against my will. This came out in 2009 but I want to hear some more NOW. According to their facebook page, a new album is in the works. Until then, "Everywhere To Go" is out now on Grape Juice Records. A great road trip album, you can listen to it everywhere you go.

Musikanto - Sky of Dresses

This is a wonderfully genuine americana album that covers many genres. The first song, "Blues for Momma," is a blues tune that makes me think of childhood. The classic blues style of repeating lyrics only makes them more powerful. 

"Every Which Way" is about love, the most classic theme, and it is definitely one of the stand out tracks. "I want your love right in front of me, I want it every which way. I need not know where you come from my darling just that you wanna stay," he sings. The simplicity of love is a curious thing. We spend all of this time trying to figure out who it is and what it means but it's really simple at the core. I like you a whole lot and I wanna be around you, right? That's what I get from this song. The dreamy guitar tone comes to a halt just before the chorus which creates a really cool effect.

The fourth track, "Ballad of Two Vultures," beautifully transitions into "Awful Mind" which has a western-like organ. The "oh my my's" in this song fit perfectly with the organ's tone.

The title track is an abstract collection of memories followed by "False Wind" with a whimsical violin intro.

The very last song is "The Waiting Room." In my interpretation of this one, it's about having a baby. "I don't see much of me in you but I want to." The female vocalist Sarah Holtschlag takes over during the chorus which sounds fantastic. The song moves along and the acoustic guitar sounds like it's over-flowing with doubt. Until, from out of nowhere, an electric guitar bursts in and the song builds into something else completely! Musikanto repeats the phrase "in the waiting room the walls are cold" until the song finally settles down. A very fine way to end a great album. 

I can't wait to hear more from Musikanto and I hope he makes his way to St. Louis sometime soon. Until then, "Sky of Dresses" is out now on Grape Juice Records.

Curtis Evans and Our Friends Electric - Life With The Buffalo

This is an album for people who like little surprises. The first track I heard from this album was "You and Me." Judging by the title, I thought it was going to be a love song. "You and me and the devil make three." It's quite dark. Despite the depressing lyrics, it still carries a beautiful duet. 

I was surprised again when I listened to the album. The second track, "Baltimore," repeats the lyric "In Baltimore there are mothers pleading / All our babies have x's on their eyes." Whoa. I knew this was dark but that is some heavy stuff. Then I got to the seventh track, "Mark of the Beast." It really grooves and the guitar is pretty ripping. It's not the kind of song I would expect to hear when there's nature photography on the cover sleeve and the first half is mostly acoustic. And I REALLY didn't expect the next song, "Sister." It's got a guitar riff that reminds me a little of Black Sabbath! "What if I can't wake up, sister?" And then on the track after, it's another slow song. "Won't Serve in Heaven" is a beautiful song that questions what qualifies us into heaven. "The Good Life" is a bitter song about being paranoid. "Will she kill me in the night?"

This showed me just how versatile Curtis Evans can be. The entire album features songs of different styles but they all seem to make sense next to each other. This is definitely a unique album and I hate to try and categorize into just one genre. "Life With The Buffalo" is out now on Grape Juice Records.

Manchester Orchestra @ The Pageant

On May 3rd I attended the Manchester Orchestra concert at the Pageant. While the show did not sell out, the pit was incredibly crowded because the balcony wasn't open. I was in the second row of humans, center stage.

The first of three bands was Harrison Hudson, a three-piece outfit from Nashville. The singer and guitarist, Harrison himself, had the appearance of Buddy Holly meets Arcade Fire. Big glasses and a slightly strange haircut. Between the three members, the songs were well-balanced. No one outshined the rest. They played songs about relationships including a very humorous song about Katy Perry. THe entire set could be summed up in their song "Run My Way." "Love is a waiting game." Very true words.

The second band was Australian rock duo An Horse. They showered us in half-shouted vocals and fast beats. Singer/guitarist Kate Cooper played an orange Fender Mustang that looked as though it had been bought earlier that day. He vocals were very energetic but sometimes difficult to understand. Drummer Damon Cox pulled out some stunning fills that I definitely don't remember from the album. Despite the tease of an acoustic on stage, there were no acoustic songs.

Finally Manchester Orchestra took stage, starting with an older fan favorite, "Shake It Out." Friends, it only takes a few melty crayons to ruin an entire coloring book. When one guy charges his way to the front, it creates a mosh pit. This was a particularly violent one. Three songs in and frontman Andy Hull had taken notice.

"It seems some of us are smiling a little too much about all the pushing and shoving."
"Thank you!," said everyone in the front.
"Yeah, do you see all these people, especially women saying thank you?," said Andy to the moshing guys, "That means you're wrong."

 The set included a few songs from their forthcoming album, Simple Math, but was for the most part very old-heavy. We were treated to a beautifully slow cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's "Holland, 1945." Andy continued to play many of their most popular songs at a much slower tempo than the album. I like to believe that this was to discourage shoving in the pit. Hull played a black Gibson hollow-body the entire show except for one song played on a custom telecaster built by guitarist Robert McDowell.

My favorite thing about Manchester Orchestra is that it seemed as though all five members knew exactly what their songs were about. I could really tell that they were feeling the lyrics as they played the songs. Drummer was smiling like a little kid during the entire show.The band opted to not do an encore and just play one extra long set.

A fantastic concert. A terrible audience. It only takes one, kids. It only takes one...