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Playing solo and splitting his set between the electric and acoustic guitar while both playing old favorites like “The Saturday Boy,” “The World Turned Upside Down,” “Greetings to the New Brunette” and “Waiting for the Great Leap Forward” (complete with timely lyrical changes) and songs that will appear on his forthcoming album, Bragg completely enraptured the crowd at this beautiful old theater even though it was an odd “Hot October Night”, as he said. Opener David Berkeley was likable and had plenty of charisma, but his songs and voice were bland, JOHN MAYER-like fare.
“Johnny Clash” is really BILLY BRAGG and this 7” single, which I picked up at the show, is a benefit for Jail Guitar Doors, which provides guitars and other musical instruments to prisoners. The A-side, as its name suggests, musically and lyrically references THE CLASH, but with Bragg’s unique lyrical touches, combining the intensely personal with the topical and political. The B-side, “The Big Lie”, is less striking, but lyrically resonates as an anti-fascist anthem which decries the BNP as well as other entities.
A fine appetizer for their forthcoming full-length, this features two songs from the album (“Atom” and “Down on the Ground”) as well as 3 non-album tracks, including the over 9-minute blowout “Pelican”.
Although the headliners’ set was plagued by unusually poor sound at a venue where the sound is usually excellent, openers Stardeath and White Dwarfs pleasantly surprised me with a fog machine and strobe light-laden set that owed more to early ‘70s BLACK SABBATH than to anything resembling indie-rock.
This is great post-punk with a profound CAPTAIN BEEFHEART influence and great, squawking saxophone playing to boot. You can read my fellow Big Takeover blogger STEVE HOLTJE’s review here.
At first, I didn’t like this compilation of the 7” singles that No Age released earlier this year, but it’s really grown on me. Alternately druggy and noisy along with aggressive and punk-ish, this is infectious stuff and I can see why it’s gotten so much attention recently.
A classic and the last King Crimson album before ROBERT FRIPP put the band to rest until 1981, this 1974 album was criticized at the time of its release for its raw, live in the studio feel and minimal production. In hindsight, though, it’s probably the Crimson album most beloved by indie-rockers for those very reasons. And besides, with classics like the title track and “Starless”, how can you go wrong? Now if only Fripp wouldn’t keep reissuing it every other year (or so it seems) with no additional material (the most recent being the 30th anniversary edition in 2004).
After a few days of listening, I can confirm that this is yet another great Radiohead album, much like all of their releases except for their so-so first album Pablo Honey. Although they haven’t released an album for over 4 years before this one, they’re still on an amazing streak of 5 consecutive great albums. This one sounds a lot like its predecessor Hail to the Thief in that it’s experimental like Kid A and Amnesiac, but with more emphasis on guitar, bass and drums than on electronics. My favorite track is “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” but all of it is worthwhile. And yes, we bought the box set.
The first record The Dicks released with their new lineup after the original one defected after the 1983 “Rock Against Reagan” tour, this 1984 classic contains the unfortunately timely anti-war anthems “No Fuckin’ War” and “I Hope You Get Drafted” (both of which are on the ‘80-’86 collection on Alternative Tentacles) as well as one other track. It’s also the last record they would release before These People, their unfortunate foray into radio-friendly blues rock and their sole Lp on Alternative Tentacles. ‘80-’86, which is split between a fair amount of great early stuff and a large chunk of These People, is the only Dicks release currently in print, but I found a re-release of this recently.
