Huge excitement build up for this show, but I was way more excited to see them around the November timeframe when I was obsessed with the record; sadly they were then touring Europe.

As I entered, I was surprised to hear Band of Skulls playing, as they were not slotted to begin for another few minutes, per a crack Metro staffer.

As the openers for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (still around?), I was initially disappointed with the Metro's sound level for BoS and the bands' excitement level.

Fuck me! I only heard two songs from this short and apparently shortened set, none of which was diamonds and pearls, pattern or Hollywood bowl.

So here is my review: check out this creative and interesting band's record, Baby Darling Sweetheart Honey, which has a refreshing edge, crunchy and driving guitars and solid lyrical performances and head out to their shows when they have a headlining spot.

Posted by @quirken

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I saw the Avett Brothers at the House of Blues in Chicago and decided to live tweet the event.  House of Blues has some filter in the main room, so my tweets cached until I left. Yes, this is longer than five sentences, but I think it warranted this level of comprehensiveness.

Feel free to follow me on twitter @quirken. Twitter is just like the internet, but shorter.

THE AVETT BROTHERS at THE HOUSE OF BLUES @quirken LIVE TWEET

Hoping to love @theavettbros tonight at House of Blues. But please don't do that 1, 2, 3 thing. Cheesy as hell, bros.

So bogus they exclude the drummer for their third song. Rapid fire #yeesh_avett 11:43 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Slight figure is outrageously good, save the rapping sections #yeesh_avett 11:44 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Lead brother looks like Bruce Springsteen if steen was a ballerina instead of a general #yeesh_avett  

Yeah, a fucking two part harmony with no drums ballad was what I wanted to hear right after that rocker. #yeesh_avett 11:46 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Dude is so fucking proud of these 'anthemic' lyrics. Bullshit. #yeesh_avett 11:47 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Why would they leave the rest of the band off the stage? #yeesh_avett 11:47 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Fucking House of blues does not serve drinks at the soundboard. #yeesh_avett 11:48 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Shut the fuck up dude behind me singing. #yeesh_avett 11:49 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Jesus the fucking singalongs are too much to take. #yeesh_avett 11:50 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Did these girls just get off work? Wearing some Clarissa starling level shit. #yeesh_avett 11:50 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Oh, now one of the gay ones is doing one by himself. #yeesh_avett 11:51 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Wow, he's really budding into quite a challenging songwriter. #yeesh_avett 11:52 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Yeah, I am exactly two steps over the line. #yeesh_avett 11:53 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

These dudes are pulling some R Kelly level shit, singing songs solo acapella. #yeesh_avett 11:54 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Dude ain't robin pecknold, by a lot Went up to the top to avoid sing a longs, dude goes a Capella #yeesh_avett 11:55 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

For some reason it feels like I am bowling. Supposed to be having fun, but not. #yeesh_avett 11:57 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

Just saw someone wearing an AIG soccer jersey. No, not ironically. #yeesh_avett 11:57 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

This music makes some girls dance excessively and beyond their abilities. Dudes pumping fists, singing along with a passion. #yeesh_avett 11:58 PM Mar 7th via Echofon

White girls love to move their feet. These boneheads can even stop the white girls from dancing. #yeesh_avett 12:00 AM Mar 8th via Echofon

I shouldn't be in pleasant company. #yeesh_avett 12:00 AM Mar 8th via Echofon

Working on a new pick up line: would you be comfortable performing the duties of my wife? #yeesh_avett 12:02 AM Mar 8th via Echofon

There are people here tonight that remind me of Emily, Ashley and Peter. Faces shifting my business. #fb #yeesh_avett 12:03 AM Mar 8th via Echofon

Yes. I left early. Churchish, sure. #yeesh_avett 12:04 AM Mar 8th via Echofon

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I was excited to review AA Bondy and Elvis Perkins in Dearland playing at Lincoln Hall for Muzzle of Bees, a great music blog by this dude Ryan who lives in Madison, WI.

Jen and I got good and fat at La Sardine, our favorite French restaurant in the city, and headed over to see AA Bondy start the show at about 10:30 p.m.

AA Bondy exceeded expectations with gross, feral emotion and ridiculously technical and beautiful guitar work in front of a slient, rapt audience.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland impressed with a tight and creative band and upbeat Louisiana-style pomp, but left the crowd a bit put off once or twice throughout the set.

Little known fact (especially if your google is broken): Elvis Perkins is the son of actor Anthony Perkins (yes! Norman Bates) and was named after the man himself, as Daddy Perkins loved his music.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Well this is an odd one.

Band of Skulls sound like they should be some type of metal or thrash record, but are actually some odd hybrid of The Rolling Stones, Jet and maybe early Oasis.

Pretty solid riffs, decent lyrics and good vocals have had me spinning this record about once a day for the last two weeks, with a personal highlight being "Death by Diamonds and Pearls."

Turns out one of the band members is female, Emma, and she rocks the bass, which is one of the best jobs in the world: female bass player.  Please do not try to debate this.

This band is currently touring with Metric, which I think is a great fit, though they will not be hitting Chicago, which has got me bummed out. Check them out if you are in the Northeast.

Band of Skulls - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey Vinyl

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

GIRLS took the stage at the Empty Bottle last Friday night at about midnight and played a slow, sprawling, loud, emotional and generally misunderstood set that really moved me and changed me and left me wondering why I have been ignoring my guitar and lyrics sheets.

Openers Smith Westerns from Chicago were largely panned by the crowd, which thinned notably before their set concluded, but I quite liked their style of treble heavy, reverb-soaked, tinny, androgynous rock.

GIRLS lead singer Christopher Owens occasionally sounds like Elvis Costello and Jarvis Cocker and always looks like Keanu Reeves circa Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, but it is clear that he has a raw, emotional outpouring of his inner feelings as he slowly and deliberately begins standout tracks such as Hellhole Ratrace, Lauren Marie and the showstopping explosion that was Summertime.

I think that many of the crowd showed up to hear the college radio and blog hit, Lust for Life, which the band chose to close the show with, but other tracks such Summertime and Hellhole Ratrace really played better on this small stage; all cleverly played on Owens' twangy and trebley Rickenbacker guitar, which he rarely removed and did not tune throughout the set.

I suppose it is worth noting that this show was on Friday the 13th, or that Owens grew up in some type of cult, or that the band's lead guitar player recently departed the band and a new guy stood in pretty effectively, but I think that would cheapen the unique and memorable impact this band and this singer and this night had upon me.

Photos:
The door outside the Empty Bottle
Smith Westerns
GIRLS lead singer Christopher Owens in pink
A photogenic dumptruck outside the show
I don't actually enjoy PBR, so.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Despite my reluctance to enjoy this group, they played their record well, played tightly and did not annoy me with obnoxious and unnecessary stage banter.

These kids are very, very young, and frankly, acted very young on stage, but somehow got the money and production team to put together a decent record, with a few standout hits, including Swim, which you can listen to on their myspace page.

Largely, this record is a collection of simple riffs, youthful lyrics and inexperienced (read: shitty) songwriting, but in today's blog-happy music scene, one decent track can get a pretty decent turnout for a young band playing on a Tuesday night.

The new Lincoln Hall, brought to you by the people who run Schuba's, seems like a decent show venue, though it felt more like a modern Metro (read: shitty) than a bigger Schuba's.

The best part of the show, for my money (I didn't actually pay to get in), was the dude (actual dude pictured, please click through) dancing, jumping, hopping, drumming and looking kinda crazy off to the side of the stage.  While it was clear he was a member of the band, he wasn't particularly musical, but was certainly the life of the party.  As the last song concluded, this wacko took his large floor drum into the embarassingly old and v-neck sweatered crowd and allowed fans to hit the drum along with him, though many of them were content to document the moment with thier ipho cameras. Ridiculous.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This band produced my a record that cracked my top five records from 2007, All Hour Cymbals, and is a must own for anyone who likes Indians in animal pelts, mustachioed hillbillies and gratuitous lumberjack outerwear.

This new song, Ambling Alp, really picks up where Cymbals leaves off, with interesting loops, fantastic drumming and bass lines and a unique, tenuous, hyperactive sound.

The new record by Yeasayer is pretty much at the top of my acquisition list for the next few weeks.

I saw this group live at the end of 2007 at Schuba's, a small Chicago club with room for about 100, on their tour with MGMT, and my love was cemented as they put on a loud and rollicking but extremely tight set.

Sadly, All Hour Cymbals, has yet to be released on vinyl, as I am sure that this record would benefit greatly from the warmth of sound that vinyl affords listeners.

Listen to Ambling Alp here.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Download now or watch on posterous

IMG_1944.MOV (1349 KB)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Wilco played a great set, two strong hours, interspersing some unbelieveable songs and some terrible songs, pretty much one after another.

Wilco has a giant song catalog, and played at least 10 of my favorite songs.

While I have seen wilco at least a dozen times, this was at least in my top ten.

Brilliant versions of:
Via Chicago
Blue black nova
Shot arm
Aquarium
I'll fight
Sonny feeling
Notgingsever
Can't stand it
Late greats
Poor places.

Jeff tweedy is still a twat.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Another great find by my musical collective, Rock Transfer Protocol,
the newish album "It's Frightening" by White Rabbits is suberb,
sprawling, creative and deep, boasts intricate play and simple chords
and works well for me in many life situations.

Just found a wonderful live video session of them playing several of
the stronger tracks from the record on some site dubiously called
"MySpace" (have you heard of this?) and can be accessed by clicking
through the video above or going there and searching around a bit in
the Transmissions section.

This band is currently on tour, and it should be noted that while they
will be playing the Firebird on October 27, they are not coming
through Chicago, and this is dismaying.

This record was produced by Britt Daniel, that dude from Spoon, and
does have a few tracks that could be easily mistaken for Spoon songs.

Highlights from the record include Percussion Gun, you were wrong and
right where they left.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

5. Another pre-release single from another band that I absolutely love, Frightened Rabbit's Midnight Organ Fight was my top rated album of 2008.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The Canadian band's third album feels less harrowing than the previous, Arm's Way, and more poppy than their calypso influenced and ridiculously awesome first album , Return To The Sea.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »