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Antony and the Johnsons with Matteah Baim- Keswick Theater (Glenside, PA) – February 2, 2009
Although this show happened almost 3 weeks ago, I’ve forgotten to list it until now. Antony and the Johnsons were superb, playing a set concentrating mostly on their new album The Crying Light, but not forgetting to mix in audience favorites from 2005’s excellent I Am a Bird Now as well.
Brooklyn Vegan has the setlist and some photos here.
M. Ward with John Wesley Harding – World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA) – February 20, 2009
My first WXPN “Free at Noon” show of the year was a stellar double bill featuring John Wesley Harding and M. Ward, both in town and performing (though not together) later that night. Wes was great, playing songs mostly from his about-to-be-released new album Who was Changed and Who was Dead and closing with “The Devil in Me” from 1990’s Here Comes the Groom. After Wes was done, Ward took the stage and proceeded to play mostly newer material from his last two records, the recently released Hold Time and 2006’s Post War.
Neko Case – Middle Cyclone (Anti)
Neko Case’s long-awaited new full-length (her first since 2006’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood) moves her even further away from her alt-country beginnings and into slightly more mainstream “indie” or even AAA territory. Fear not, though. My hunch is that if you liked her previous few albums, you’ll like this. And yes, the last track is 32 minutes long. I’m just wondering how she’ll fit it on the vinyl version once the album is released. All I’ll say about it is that I like it, but I fully expect it to piss people off much like WILCO’s “Less than You Think” did on their 2004 album A Ghost is Born.
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 – Goodnight Oslo (Yep Roc)
This has been getting some phenomenal reviews, including one from my fellow Big Takeover blogger MICHAEL TOLAND (see here), but honestly after a few listens I’m a little underwhelmed. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it. I was just hoping for more of the same rejuvenated, rocking goodness of 2006’s frankly phenomenal Ole! Tarantula. Instead, this sounds more like his initial solo efforts like Groovy Decay and Groovy Decoy than like, say, 1988’s amazing Globe of Frogs. Perhaps more listening will mean that this will grow on me.
The Marked Men – Ghosts (Dirtnap)
Like AC/DC or MOTORHEAD, you pretty much know what you’re gonna get with a Marked Men album. Their first since 2006’s Fix My Brain, this is an almost identical-sounding slab of wax. In other words, short, hard, fast punk rock songs. 15 of them, one right after the other, like punches in the gut but yet they leave you feeling so good. It would be fun to create an iTunes playlist consisting of their last 3 records, put it on shuffle and attempt to figure out what album each song comes from. I really hope they tour for this record.
The Fall – Totale’s Turns (It’s Now or Never) (Rough Trade)
Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I’m a massive Fall fan. However, until this past week I’d never heard this incredible live album. Yes they have dozens of live albums and compilations, but this one is absolutely essential. Originally released in 1980 and later reissued several times, this is a recording of the band circa 1979, when they played a setlist focusing on the then just-released album Dragnet. Although I like Dragnet, the versions of those songs on this album are far superior. This is essential for fans of MARK E. SMITH.
Sparks – Exotic Creatures from the Deep (Lil’ Beethoven)
The third consecutive great album from Sparks, this one has less of the explicit orchestral pomp and circumstance of 2002’s Lil’ Beethoven or 2006’s Hello Young Lovers. In fact, at times it sounds like outtakes from their mid ‘70s records like Kimono My House or Propaganda, especially on “Lighten Up Morrissey” (incidentally, the subject of the song is a massive Sparks fan). Some elements from their previous few albums are retained, though, and more importantly the absurdist sense of humor and ability to laugh at the mundane is retained here. See the irresistible “Good Morning” for proof.
XTC – Mummer (Virgin)
One of my favorite XTC albums, I typically revisit this one during the colder months of a given year. Its sound is autumnal, yet I typically play it during the coldest months of a given year. Recorded after ANDY PARTRIDGE had a nervous breakdown on stage and swore off touring forever, it’s fascinating to listen to the album with that context in mind. Perhaps songs like “Love on a Farmboy’s Wages” and “Me and the Wind” represent a desire to return to a more peaceful place, but in any case this is one of XTC’s very best albums and has long been underrated. Along with the aforementioned Partridge-penned tunes, Andy’s “Beating of Hearts” and “Great Fire” along with COLIN MOULDING’s “Wonderland” all rank with their very best material.
Brandon Halpin – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Villard, 2007)
Although the book is named after BELLE AND SEBASTIAN’s great 2003 album and the author thanks them in the “liner notes” that come at the end, this fantastic novel has nothing to do with Scottish indie-pop or really with music at all. Well that’s not totally true. Music is central to the improbable love story here, but at heart it’s more about life, family and the hard choices that people make along the way to get them into adulthood. I couldn’t put this book down and finished it within two days. Highly recommended!
Patti Smith: Dream of Life (Not Rated)
More of a glimpse into PATTI SMITH’s life during the last 12 years (this was filmed between 1996, when Patti made her comeback with Gone Again, and 2007) than any kind of straightforward documentary of any sort, the viewer doesn’t really learn that much about her. In any case it’s still an enjoyable and engaging film if you’re already a fan, though I don’t know how much those who aren’t familiar with her work will get out of it. It feels like a love letter from a fan as well as a peak into her often times fascinating world.
