Aside from seeing THE AVENGERS back in February, this is my favorite show of the year so far. This was my first time seeing Hitchcock with a band, and it didn’t disappoint. He played selections from his staggering back catalog all the way up to the present, ranging from “Give It to the Soft Boys” (which closed the show) to tracks from last year’s Ole!, Tarantula, with many stops at the years in between and an amazing version of BOB DYLAN’s “Not Dark Yet.” SCOTT MCCAUGHEY and BILL RIEFLIN make a terrific rhythm section and PETER BUCK played well despite clearly not wanting to be there, a magically refilling wine bottle situated on a chair behind him.
Two days after a great Robyn Hitchcock show, we got a great Ted Leo show. Not only that, but the opener Love of Diagrams was absolutely terrific as well. They didn’t quite upstage the headliner (who was his terrific self), but they did impress me enough that I bought both their EP and upcoming new album (see below). As for Ted Leo, he’s just awe-inspiring. Since former and now current Pharmacist JAMES CANTY (yes, BRENDAN CANTY’s brother) has come back in the fold, they delighted the enthusiastic audience by playing many gems from The Tyranny of Distance and one from his masterpiece, 2003’s Hearts of Oak. Drummer CHRIS WILSON stood out as well, playing so hard I’m amazed he didn’t destroy part of his kit.
Seeing Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus Three perform this album’s great “Kingdom of Love” got me to dig this one out. It’s one of my favorite albums ever and one of the best ever made in my opinion. Its virtues have been lauded by many critics ad nauseam, so I won’t go into it too much here, but suffice it to say I think that it’s Hitchcock’s finest hour. Of course, this band wasn’t built to last, as they broke up after this album and then broke up again in 2002 after reuniting, touring and recording the reunion album Nextdoorland. In general, it’s always hard for two restless, creative spirits such as Hitchcock and guitarist KIMBERLEY REW to see eye-to-eye for too long, and this band was no exception. At least they left us with this amazing album, though. The 2001 Matador reissue contains a bonus disc of outtakes, studio bits, demos and what not. It’s an interesting listen for those who already love the album, but disc 1 is where it’s at.
As I mentioned above, this Australian band’s set opening for Ted Leo the other night impressed me so much that I bought this album as well as their EP. While it won’t be out for another few weeks, they’re already selling copies on tour, and boy was it worth it. It’s great, early ‘80s-influenced post-punk, like a cross between early AU PAIRS, SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES circa The Scream and, interestingly, THE WIPERS’ Is This Real?. I know that there have been lots of newer post-punk bands that have come down the pike in the last five years or so, but this band is the real deal. Like INTERPOL, another great post-punk-influenced band who Matador signed early on, but without the fashionista bent, you can imagine them existing in the same time period and sharing bills with the bands I mentioned. Already out in Australia, this will be this band’s U.S. debut (their first album, The Target is You, came out in their homeland in 2003).
This four-song EP functions as a teaser for their upcoming full-length. Containing two of the album’s best songs (“The Pace and the Patience” and “The Pyramid”) as well as a cover of PYLON’s “Love” and another non-album track called “No Way Out”, it’s a great primer.
Although I’ve been listening to it for months, I like it more and more with every listen. It’s easily the equal of their third album, The Remote Part, though not quite up to the heights of their masterpiece, 100 Broken Windows. Nevertheless, this is just Idlewild doing what they do best.
I know that she’s more well known for her alcoholism (it’s no coincidence that the album opener is called “Rehab”), struggles with eating disorders and wild, unpredictable behavior, but if that makes you think of such celebrity trainwrecks as LINDSEY LOHAN or BRITNEY SPEARS, think again, because there’s actually quite a bit of substance behind her and this record. First off, let’s start with her voice. It’s an astonishing instrument in the 4-5 octave range, but unlike say, other singers such as CHRISTINA AGUILERA or MARIAH CAREY who also have such amazing range, she knows how to use (and not overuse) it. She doesn’t caterwaul, and her style is more similar to NINA SIMONE than any female pop vocalist working today, and that’s a good thing. Then there are the songs. “Rehab” is the current hit and quite infectious, but “Me and Mr. Jones” (a direct reference to the 1973 BILLY PAUL hit “Me and Mrs. Jones”) is just as great. I’d like to see any of the other above-mentioned “divas” use the word “f**kery” in one of their songs both as a lyric and a subtitle. The rest of the album doesn’t let up, either, and overall the whole thing feels current, yet echoing the classic feel of an early ‘70s r’n’b album. I know she’s super popular now, but sometimes talent and mass popularity can coalesce and this is one of those instances.
After we went to a reading of his last week, we picked up a hardcover copy of his new book. As it’s my first exposure to Lethem, I can’t comment on how similar or dissimilar it is to his other novels, but I can say it’s quite a compelling (if light and fun) read. Set in early ‘90s Los Angeles, it follows an unnamed band as they struggle to get noticed. In summation, this is a good chronicle of twentysomething urban bohemia that could take place in any major metropolis.
Catherine Wheel “Strange Fruit”
This is not the bone-chilling song that BILLIE HOLIDAY made famous; rather, as many Big Takeover readers will know, it’s a great Catherine Wheel original and my favorite song of theirs. While there are a lot of other great songs (i.e. “Crank,” “The Nude,” “Kill Rhythm” and others) on their second album, Chrome, I always end up playing this one over and over again for some reason.
The long-awaited follow-up to 2004’s initially confounding but ultimately triumphant A Ghost is Born finds Wilco taking a step back from the bold and experimental path that they’d previously taken first on 2002’s brilliant Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and then especially on A Ghost is Born, both of which have made them into the U.S. answer to RADIOHEAD both in terms of boldness and in terms of popularity as well. Of course, no one will confuse Wilco with ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, for example, but it’s still remarkable in this day and age to see a band so willing to change to follow its muse from album to album be embraced by an ever-larger audience as the years go by. Perhaps this lineup is solidfying and singer/songwriter JEFF TWEEDY no longer feels that he has anything to prove, but Sky Blue Sky feels like a retreat, though a pleasant and enjoyable one. The most noticable thing about it initially is NELS CLINE’s frankly incredible guitar playing. He’s allowed to let loose on at least four or five occasions here, and his tasty playing makes many of the songs here. Otherwise, this record is entrenched deep in early ‘70s singer/songwriter territory. NEIL YOUNG’s records from this period are a common comparison and not one altogether off, but the feel (if not the sound) remind me a lot of BOB DYLAN’s “retreat” records from the late ‘60s (particularly John Wesley Harding) in its tone and approach. Nevertheless, fans of Wilco will find much to enjoy here, though there are no immediate standouts, unlike albums past.
