I have been getting a lot of requests lately for two items, so here they are!
The first is Kerith Ravine's music. Kerith Ravine is essentially the band Lovedrug before it was called Lovedrug. They had one LP, two EPs, and then a couple of other tracks. Here are the EPs, long out of print.
The next is All Things Bright and Beautiful. This is the project of Luxury's Lee Bozeman. He has a full length All Things Bright and Beautiful LP that was released a couple of years ago and is available from Northern Records. There were two independently released EPs before that, and they are also both long out of print. Download them here.
NCAA Tourney starts tomorrow- woo hoo! Go Vandy!
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Best of 2006 (and 2007 preview)
I know, it’s already February 2007, but I always do a year end list, and this year is no exception. January was the busiest month of my now 30 (!) years of life, so I have not had time to do this until now. And in some ways I am glad I waited a month to do this, because during that time I discovered one of my top 5 albums of 2006, Manchester Orchestra. Starred (*) albums are available on vinyl. At this point every album I want that is available on vinyl I buy in that format.
Another benefit of me doing this list so late is that I have had tons of time to think about it. This is the most complete list I have done in years. There is a top 10, honorable mention section, and a most anticipated list for 2007. I also provided links to all the artists websites, and to all of the record label websites. And all of the artists listed here have Myspace sites, which at this point are usually a much better source of information than their actual websites.
Lastly, I provided mp3s! There is one zip file which is my best of 2006 album. If you download it and unzip it the songs will fit perfectly onto an 80 minute CD. Then there is also another zip file that is another mix, containing mostly songs from 2007. Since there is obviously not much 2007 music available yet, I filled it with songs from the last few years.
The Top 10 of 2006:
1. Fair- The Best Worst-Case Scenario (Tooth and Nail)
I have been an Aaron Sprinkle fan since I first heard him sing “Ring True” for Poor Old Lu back in 1994 (The only Lu song he sings lead on). I have loved and purchased everything he has ever done, from Rose Blossom Punch to his solo albums and now Fair. I am also a big fan of his production, from bands diverse as Eisley and Demon Hunter. This album is pop-rock perfection, and the best thing Aaron has done outside of the Poor Old Lu albums. Very slick production and some very unique guitar tones and effects throughout. The artwork is beautiful and was nominated for a Grammy!
Not your typical husband/wife band, because they rock! Kori on keyboards & vocals, Jason on drums & vocals, this is their 4th and by far best LP. I have been obsessed with them since I saw them perform in front of about 30 people in a small club in Paris in August of 2003. Fun music.
Jeremy Enigk is the lead singer of one of my all-time favorite bands, Sunny Day Real Estate. Counting albums from that band, the Fire Theft, and solo, this is his 7th LP. His only other solo album, “Return of the Frog Queen”, came out 10 years ago. I haven’t been too excited about any of his work since the last SDRE album (2000) except for the soundtrack he did for the movie “The United States of Leland.” This album takes him back to his glory days, singing with my favorite male voice of all time. Good balance between stripped down acoustic songs and more upbeat rock songs. Entire album is driven by piano and acoustic guitars. I saw Jeremy perform live last November opening for Cursive. That is the most recent show I have been to. It was far and away the best concert I have ever seen put on by a single individual. Jeremy was so passionate, the show was very moving. He alternated between playing piano, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. The highlight of the show was when he performed the SDRE song "How It Feels to be Something On."
At this point in my life I rarely discover “new” bands. Almost all of the music I buy is from artists I have been listening to for years; whether it is the band they have always been in, a new band they are in, or another solo album. Manchester Orchestra is the only “new’ band to make my top 10. ‘I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child’ is their first LP, releasing in October of 2006. I didn’t get it until January however, and I have been listening to it non-stop since. What I find most appealing is the intensity of the vocals and the lyrics. There is more lyrical depth on this album than I have heard in awhile. Musically, for fans of Lovedrug, Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists and Bright Eyes. If I had discovered this album sooner, it could have been number one on this list. As I type this, I am still tempted to move it to number one. It, probably more so than any other album on here, has the potential to become one of my favorite albums of all time.
This is a spectacular folk-country album, and sounds like it could have been released decades ago except for the crisp production. Neko Case has one of the best voices out there today- she can wail!6. Starflyer 59- My Island (Tooth and Nail)
Starflyer has been releasing a CD a year for the last 14 years. For awhile, they somewhat lost my attention, even though I have bought every release. They regained my utmost respect two years ago with the great ‘Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice’ and then this album blew me away. The most rocking album they have done in 10 years probably, but absolutely nothing like what they were doing 10 years ago. SF59 reinvents themselves with every-album, this one being bass-heavy and up-tempo.7. The Be Good Tanyas- Hello, Love (Nettwerk)
I wouldn’t call myself a bluegrass fan, but I LOVE the Be Good Tanyas. A female trio of stripped-down, acoustic bluegrass. This is their 3rd album, and probably best. Mostly very earthy mid-tempoed and vocal-heavy tracks, accompanied by quiet banjo and guitar.9. Brandtson- Hello, Control (the Militia Group)
I discovered the Appleseed Cast and Brandtson about the same time, when Deep Elm Records started around 1998. They each had songs on the first Deep Elm sampler, which led me to seeing them on tour together in the late 90s in the back of a small skate shop in Birmingham, AL. I was most excited about the Appleseed Cast song on the sampler (Marigold and Patchwork), but it was Brandtson who most impressed me at the show. I have been following both bands very closely ever since, buying every release. The Appleseed Cast has pushed the limits with their very diverse body of work ranging from the indie-pop rock of ‘Two Conversations’ to their post-rock masterpieces ‘Low Level Owl’ volume 1 & 2. At their best, there are few bands better. Brandtson has stayed closer to just straight up indie-rock, being very fun music to sing along to. Over the last decade I have seen Brandtson on average twice a year. The Appleseed Cast I did not see again after that first show until summer 2005 in Nashville.Brandtson has always had great songs, but never really had a great full-length album until ‘Send Us a Signal’, which was my number one album of 2004. Now in 2006, both bands are back on the same label, this time the Militia Group. Neither band is at the top of their game, but they are still talented enough to put out intriguing albums. Brandtson’s album is a complete departure, one member change leading to a completely new dance-based style. Most all of the songs are super-catchy with electronic drums; pure pop. The first time I listened the album I was in shock and somewhat appalled due to the huge shift from their usual organic indie rock. The album grew on me however and now I appreciate their effort to do something new.
The Appleseed Cast’s album isn’t too different than their past work, but for most fans it is a welcome shift back to territory more similar to the ‘Low Level Owl’ albums. However, most Appleseed fans didn’t like ‘Two Conversations,’ which I love. 'Peregrine' is probably my least favorite Appleseed Cast album (excluding the debut), mostly due to the fact that there are no great songs. I love the overall style and guitar work, but nothing makes too much of an impact.
Sleeping at Last continues to put out great music just under the radar. Their last album, ‘Ghosts’, was awesome and on a major label, but it led to nothing and they stayed in anonymity. ‘Keep No Score’, the band’s third album, is their masterpiece. Stylistically consistent with ‘Ghosts’, they have added strings to their solid guitar work and it sounds amazing. The highlight of the album is probably the lyrics, the line “You were meant for amazing things” from the song “Umbrellas” often streaming through my head. The packaging is composed of stunning original watercolor paintings.2006 Honorable Mention:
Headlights- Kill Them with Kindness* (Polyvinyl)
The debut album from former members of Absinthe Blind. Tracks typically alternate male and female vocals, reminds me a lot of the Anniversary in many ways. Very happy, keyboard heavy indie rock, somewhat a more serious version of Mates of State.
2006 was the year I finally "got" Cursive. I had been hearing them since the late 90s, but I never truly explored their music. "The Ugly Organ", Cursive's 2003 release I heard when it camed out and liked it, but never took the plunge and bought it. Well, in preparation to see them in concert in November with Jeremy Enigk, I listened to "The Ugly Organ" again and fell in love. Thier concert was strange- I thought about 2/3 of the songs were amazing, but the other 1/3 I hated. All of "The Ugly Organ" songs sounded awesome, so I bought the vinyl. Well, for some reason I assumed those songs that I hated must have been from their newest album, "Happy Hollow", so I never listened to it. Yesterday I found the CD used for $3.00, so I bought it, and it is great! "The Ugly Organ" is better, mainly due to the cello and the lyrics, but this new one is very good. Cursive sticks with their dischordant sound, but adds horns, accordion, and tons of other instruments. "The Ugly Organ" would have been in my best of 2006 top 10 if not for the fact it was released in 2003.
My wife and I saw My Brightest Diamond open for Sufjan Stevens and we were absolutely blown away by her vocals and stage presence. My Brightest Diamond is Shara Worden, who is a trained opera singer. This album is extremely diverse and takes influences from rock, jazz and classical styles.
Acoustic pop-rock songs with very soothing vocals and memorable lyrics. Songs alternate between male and female vocals and both voices are outstanding.
I have heard Cat Power for years and after reading so many positive reviews this is the first album I actually bought from her. Quiet and sexy.
I would rarely mention a Christmas album on any kind of list, but these are all original songs and everything Over the Rhine does is spectacular. Karin’s voice has never sounded better.
Sufjan-esque rock band delivers Japanese themed album. The album is so good I don’t think I appreciate it correctly. Music is complex, weird, and great. Highlight for me is the album artwork- beautiful. The cover is an intricate cardboard cut-out.
It took Jeremy Enigk singing on the album for me to finally appreciate this band. Now I am blown away- very intense stuff.
I have heard Hem for years, and while I liked the style, nothing ever stuck with me. They opened for Over the Rhine over the summer and my wife and I worked the merch table and loved them. They are similar to Over the Rhine, but quieter, more similar to the Innocence Mission. Their song “Not California” is my number one song of 2006.
Stavesacre was one of my top 10 bands of the 90s. But after Jeff Bellew left the band their releases suffered greatly and they reached a low point with their self-titled album in 2002, which I found horrendous. This album doesn’t quite reach the standard set by their first three albums, but it is very good. Mainly it is just nice to see Stavesacre making great rock music again.
Most disappointing album of 2006:Leigh Nash- Blue on Blue (Nettwerk)
Anyone who knows me knows that Sixpence None the Richer is my co-favorite band (along with Poor Old Lu.) They broke up in 2002, so obviously I was very excited to see Leigh making music again. Matt Slocum was the primary song-writer for Sixpence though, and it really shows here. While I don’t dislike Leigh’s solo album, most of the song-writing is weak, cheesy, and shallow. Her voice sounds great, but it is not enough. I can't remember the last time I listened to this CD. (Am I the only person that thinks she looks like Ashlee Simpson in this picture?)Most anticipated of 2007:Tess Wiley- Super Fast Rock N’ Roll Played Slow (April) (Tapete)
My favorite female vocalist ever; she also writes great songs and plays almost all of the instruments on her releases.<
Thrice- TBA* (Summer) (Island) Thrice is pretty much my favorite band of the last few years. Everything they release is stunning, musically and lyrically. This album is going to be in four parts and on four discs, from 5 to 7 songs on each, around 25 total.
Lovedrug- Everything Starts Where it Ends (March) (the Militia Group)
The tracks I have heard of this (about half) have blown me away. I loved Kerith Ravine and the first Lovedrug album, but I think this album will be a step to a different level.The best pop-rock band ever, their last album was my number one of 2003. Needless to say, there are high expectations.
Zookeeper is Chris Simpson of Mineral and the Gloria Record, who is my favorite lyricist of all time. His new project is a huge departure from his former rock bands. His song writing style is similar, but the instrumentation is drastically different. Based around acoustic guitar and piano, he is accompanied by horns, accordion, banjo... just about everything. His first 5-song EP was released in 2006- I have mixed feelings about it. It is solid, but hard to get used to they style. The first Zookeeper full length hopefully will be a little more refined and cohesive.
The Innocence Mission- We Walked in Song* (March) (Badman)
The Innocence Mission is the quietest band I listen to. I own everything they have ever done, but the last few albums have not been my favorites. I am hoping for a return to the quality of song-writing they had in the 90s.Dakoda Motor Co.- TBA (TBA) (Label unknown) Coming out of nowhere, this band has reunited with their original line-up (Davia!). They played their first show in over 10 years last October. I am still shocked. They were my first favorite band, but their break-up was so final, the members weren’t even really in touch. No one really knows what the plans of the band are, but they are back!
This Diminishing West- TBA (TBA) (Label unknown) After Poor Old Lu broke up in 1996, ¾ of the band have stayed super active except for the lead singer Scott. Well he is finally back with a new band!
Chevelle- Vera Sera (April) (Epic) Chevelle’s first two albums were great hard-rock releases, reminiscent of Tool. Their third album bored me; I am hoping for a return to form.
2007 Albums I already have:
1. Explosions in the Sky- All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone* (March) (Temporary Residence)
I generally like instrumental post-rock, but don’t listen to it much and never buy it. The exception is Explosions in the Sky- some of the most emotional music I have ever heard, and they are able to communicate so much with no words.
Another album that was available digitally in December, I find it to be Rosie Thomas’ best work. Her voice is spectacular, but her last album was over-produced. This album is more stripped-down folk, and the album title is for a reason- her friends, playing guitar, banjo, and singing bgv’s, are Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer. This is her fourth LP after a short stint singing for Velour100, and she keeps getting better.
raw as the first, the vocals are much improved and the instrumentation more diverse.
This album was available digitally in early December, but it didn’t officially release until January. Dustin is the lead singer of Thrice, a former punk-metal band that now crosses every genre. His solo album is still a complete departure, being very lo-fi folk in the vein of Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash.
It took me years to “get” this band, but I finally have- great album.
Jason Martin from Starflyer 59 and Ronnie Martin from Joy Electric record their first album together in 15 years. It sounds EXACTLY like what you are thinking and it doesn’t impress me. I’ll stick with SF59.Best of 2006 CD Tracklist:
1. Jeremy Enigk- Canons
2. Starflyer 59- Mic the Mic
3. Brandtson- Earthquakes and Sharks
4. Cursive- Dorothy at Forty
5. Appleseed Cast- Woodland Hunter (Part 2)
6. Headlights- Put Us Back Together Right
7. Mates of State- Like u Crazy
8. My Brightest Diamond- Something of an End
9. Hem- Not California
10. Neko Case- Hold On, Hold On
11. The Be Good Tanyas- Opal
12. The Weepies- Gotta Have You
13. Cat Power- Where is My Love
14. Over the Rhine- Here it Is
15. Sleeping At Last- Umbrellas
16. Fair- Unglued
17. Manchester Orchestra- Where Have you Been?
18. Anathallo- Hanasakajii 1
19. MeWithoutYou- O, Porcupine
02.10.07 Mix CD Tracklist:
1. Explosions in the Sky- What do you go home to? (2007)
2. Lovedrug- Happy Apple Poison (2007)
3. Arcade Fire- Keep the Car Running (2007)
4. Cursive- Driftwood: A Fairy Tale (2003)
5. Rainer Maria- Life of Leisure (2006)
6. The Brothers Martin-The Plot That Weaves (2007)
7. Fair- Once Again (2006)
8. The New Pornographers- From Blown Speakers (2003)
9. The Shins- Sea Legs (2007)
10. Thrice- Between the End and Where We Lie (2005)
11. Brandtson- Parallels (2006)
12. Headlights- This One (live) (2007)
13. Rosie Thomas- Much Farther to Go (2007)
14. The Innocence Mission- Into Brooklyn, Early in the Morning (2007)
15. Dustin Kensrue- Weary Saints (2007)
16. Copeland- When You Thought You'd Never Stand Out (2006)
17. Zookeeper- Delivery Room (2006)
18. Tess Wiley- Halfway Through (2007)
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New Tess Wiley!
Tess Wiley's new album, "Super Fast Rock'n'Roll Played Slow" will be released in April.
You can hear four songs from it here.
You can hear three more songs from it here on the Tapete Records website.
There is no mention of it yet on her website.
My best of 2006 post is coming soon!
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Is anybody out there?
I have no idea if anyone still reads this blog. If so, sorry it has been so long. (I think every other post I do is an apology.) Well, anyway, I am planning a BIG post soon. First of all, my best of 2006- a top 10 list and a zip file containing a CD's worth of music. Also, I plan to write a little about music to be excited about in 2007- like new Lovedrug, new Eisley, new Dakoda Motor Co., new Fountains of Wayne, etc.
Until then, everyone check out Manchester Orchestra. They are a new band out of Atlanta I recently discovered, they released their debut album in October. I CAN'T stop listening to it!
www.themanchesterorchestra.com
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The new SF59 album is out, and GREAT. Listen to four songs on the album by clicking on the banner above.
Check out the Dakoda Motor Co. Myspace site (that I run for the band).
My middle school cross country team is doing great! Check out my school's website for results and pictures. My boys' team is undefeated through three meets, defeating a total of over 20 teams.
Auburn 7, LSU 3. WAR EAGLE!
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Dakoda Motor Co. is playing a reunion show! And it is this Saturday, Sept. 8 in San Diego. And it is with Davia! Man, I wish I could go. For years I have dreamed about seeing DMC with Davia; the only time I saw them was in March 1995 after she left the band. They have a new Myspace site, you can view it here: www.myspace.com/DakodaMotorCo
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My wife and I saw Fiona Apple in concert last night, at Chastain Park Amphitheater in Atlanta. I surprised her with an early birthday gift, she was excited.
I became a Fiona Apple fan in early 2005 when I found the ‘Extraordinary Machine’ bootleg online. I had heard her over the years, but never really explored her music. My wife however has loved Fiona since “Tidal” was released in 1996.
(I wasn't allowed to take a camera into the venue, so I found this random picture online. Even if I had my camera, no way could I have even gotten one decent shot though, we were sitting so far away.)
Seeing Fiona Apple in concert last night gave me a completely new appreciation for her. She is one of the most passionate, expressive artists I have ever seen perform. Her music is generally filled with angst and passion, but as she sang her songs last night she appeared to be reliving the circumstances and emotions of the songs. She growled, screamed, yelled, cried, whispered and sang the words that she is obviously very connected to.
Many things surprised me about the show. First of all, her lack of speaking. I am used to seeing artists talk a lot in between songs and tell stories. Not for Fiona. Everything she had to say she communicated through her singing. She finally muttered a very sincere “Thank you” after an hour of performing.” She said “Thank you” a couple more times, uttered a couple of “Wow’s” and introduced the band; that was the extent of her spoken communication with the crowd.
The next thing that surprised me was that for about half the show, she did not play piano. She stood with a mic and sang while a member of her band played the piano. I had always pictured Fiona sitting behind (hiding behind?) the piano for her concert. It was weird to see her standing front and center behind a mic stand. But she definitely didn’t stand still. I wouldn’t call it dancing, but she was constantly in motion. She jumped, yelled, shook, and some points it appeared she was having a seizure.
Lastly, the setlist surprised me tremendously. Fiona started with ‘Get Him Back’ from the new album, but then played 7 or 8 straight old songs. I thought it was great. I am constantly wishing my favorite artists would perform more of their older songs live, because they rarely do. Typically when I see a band I like in concert 90% of the show is songs off their newest album. I don’t blame them, but I wish it wasn’t that way. Anyway, back to Fiona. She played two songs off ‘Tidal’: ‘Shadowboxer’ and the final song of the night, ‘Criminal.’ She played either 7 or 8 songs of ‘When the Pawn…’, almost the entire album. And she played 5-6 songs of ‘Extraordinary Machine’: the title track, which was the first encore song, ‘Tymps’, ‘Not About Love’, ‘Red Red Red’, ‘Get Him Back’ and I think one other. I would love to know the actual setlist, but I don’t know the names of her songs well enough to remember. The only song she didn’t play that my wife and I really wanted to hear was ‘Window.’ The show started at 9:00 and ended at 10:30 p.m.
Before I end this post, I want to say I am frequently entertained by comparing the two versions of ‘Extraordinary Machine.’ I heard the bootleg version (Jon Brion-produced, leaked to internet in 2004) first and fell in love with it. The real version (Mike Elizondo-produced) released in stores in October 2005. I initially was very disappointed with it, but now I love them both. With songs like ‘Not About Love’ and ‘Tymps’ I like the new versions better, but with ‘Red Red Red’ and ‘Window’ I think the original versions are tons better. Anyway, I recommend getting both versions. The Jon Brion one is all over the internet, you can download it for free. Then buy the Mike Elizondo version, I recommend getting it on vinyl (2 x LP).
Speaking of getting music over the internet, the new Jeremy Enigk album, ‘World Waits’ has leaked and I have been listening to it a lot. It will be released on October 3. It is tons better than the Fire Theft album, and I personally like it much better than Jeremy’s first solo album, ‘Return of the Frog Queen.’ But, as you can expect, it does not touch the four Sunny Day Real Estate albums. Oh how I miss Dan Hoerner.
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About a month until FAIR's album is released. I am more excited about this album than any other in a very long time.
The Pistons advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs tonight with a 116-83 destruction of the Bucks. The Pistons won the series 4-1 and next will play either the Cavs or Wizards. Detroit will kill either of those opponents, it really doesn't matter. I guess beating LeBron will be more fun though.
Listening to: Brandtson- Hello, Control
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Eisley
March 24, 2006
Exit/In
Nashville, TN
Mister Pine
Marvelous Things
The Escaping Song
My Lovely
Telescope Eyes
Golly, Sandra
I’ll Could Be There For You
Memories
Invasion
Sunfeet
Plenty of Paper
Like the Actors
Many Funerals
My wife and I drove up from Georgia to see Eisley on Friday. We considered going to the Atlanta show, but we live an hour and a half outside the city, and on a Thursday night we wouldn’t have gotten back until too late to then have to work Friday morning. And I have family in Nashville and have been to at least a dozen shows at the Exit/In over the years. I have always thought it to be a nice venue with great sound. I have seen Sixpence None the Richer, Vigilantes of Love, and numerous others there. My opinion of the venue changed dramatically last night.
(On the drive up we listened to Poor Old Lu’s “Mindsize.” For those of you who don’t know Poor Old Lu was Aaron Sprinkle’s first band, and “Mindsize” was their album. That was 1993, but the album is still great, and Poor Old Lu is still my favorite band. Aaron Sprinkle’s newest band, Fair is opening for Eisley on the West Coast. Oh how I wish I lived on the West Coast!)
When I saw on the Exit/In’s website that the show time was 6:00 p.m. I immediately questioned it, NO show starts that early. My guess was that the doors would open at 6:00, the first band at 7:00 and then Eisley would be around 9:00. My sister and her friends were going as well, so I just had my sister call me when the first band starting. She called just after 7:00 and that is when my wife and I headed over.
We entered the club about 7:45 and an unknown band was playing on stage. I soon learned it was Simon Dawes. I thought they were terrible! They definitely had fans present, but my wife and I could barely stand them. The highlight of their set for me was a cover of “Burning Down the House.” We missed Brighten, who I would have liked to see, I think they would have been more my style.
At some point during the Simon Dawes set the lead singer said the club asked him if they would extend their set by 20 minutes. Seemed pretty strange to me, I just figured Eisley wasn’t ready.
During the set change the crowd erupted when Stacy’s Rhodes was placed on the stage; I don’t think I have ever heard so much applause for a musical instrument without someone playing it. Right before Eisley went on stage, the lights went out and loud music came on. I had never heard the song before, but it was upbeat, and apparently was being played to get Eisley pumped for the show. There was a random laptop on stage cycling through pictures and the only other thing I could see was some people dancing backstage through a small crack in the curtain. If none of this makes sense just think about what it is like at an NBA game when the starting line-ups are announced.
Eisley started with my favorite song of theirs, “Mister Pine.” If any old songs appear on their new album, I hope this is the only one. The guitar parts were different than the recorded version of the song, and from the previous two times I had heard the song live. Part of it may have been technical difficulties with Chauntelle’s guitar, but I thought it sounded great.
They next went into “Marvelous Things” which rocked much harder than I remember (a good thing!). During this song I took an amazing picture of Sherri, as you can see below. It looks like she is screaming at the top of her lungs; I benefited from a well-timed flash from someone standing right below her. I didn’t take many good pictures, it was too dark and I was standing too far away.
Later in the show Sherri accidentally introduced “Telescope Eyes” as a country-twanged song, thinking that was what they were about to play “Golly, Sandra.” Stacy pointed out that she read the set list wrong, which resulted in some friendly sibling banter.
The first new song of the night was one I had never even heard mentioned before, “I Could Be There For You.” It was AMAZING! I got video of the entire song, which I have been watching today. Sherri introduced it as being about Indiana Jones, but I haven’t yet grasped the connection. It is mid-tempoed Stacy song, and sounds more like a love song than any other song Eisley has ever written. Pretty short too, less than three minutes.
The next new song was the one I have been looking forward to the most, “Invasion.” Kim got me excited when she first mentioned it on the board, and the resulting comments gave the song even more hype. It doesn’t disappoint! It is a very fast Sherri song, highlighted by the chorus, a sustained high note of “You…….” They introduced the song as being about aliens, and during the bridge Stacy sings “Call me crazy, but they are after us, one by one, one by one…” I got about half of it on video as well. I just have an average digital still camera, and the video is definitely lesser quality than Boyd’s, but it is not bad.
“Invasion” was followed by “Sunfeet.” I have the live mp3 on my computer, but the song sounded nothing like I remember. It was great, and now I am much more excited about hearing the studio version. It is a longer and slower Eisley song. It was about this time that the girls first mentioned that they were going to have to end their set early because of the fire code. They were confused, I was confused, it made no sense. But Eisley was sounding so good I didn’t care and just enjoyed the moment.
Eisley finished with two more new songs, “Like the Actors” and “Many Funerals.” Both of these songs I already knew thanks to Boyd videos, but hearing them live was totally different. Sherri played acoustic guitar for “Like the Actors,” unlike the Australia videos. (Probably didn’t take the acoustic on that trip?) Before the song she said to Stacy, “Let’s do the new song you sing, rather than the new song I sing, because I am tired.” So apparently there was a different new song on the set list. “Many Funerals” was the perfect way to end the show; it is fast becoming one of my favorite Eisley songs. It is so intense! The song has already changed quite a bit since the videos Boyd gave us. Musically it is about the same, but lyrically it has changed and they sing in some new parts where before it was just instrumental.
All that said, Eisley’s performance was incredible. I thought they sounded much better than the first two times I have seen them. They played 13 songs, which is pretty impressive for a shortened show. And I always love hearing songs for the first time in concert.
But I can’t write about last night without mentioning the problems with the venue. Like I mentioned, Stacy and Sherri both were told they had to end the set by 10 because of the fire code. This makes no sense, and I didn’t understand why until I read Boyd’s post about the show. Not only that, I overheard a conversation about how some people were being turned away at the door who had tickets. When the show ended, my wife and I were headed to the merch table, we probably would have purchased at least one, if not two t-shirts. But the Exit/In’s manager started yelling, “We are closed! Get out! We are closed! Get out!” And the employees started herding everyone out the door.
I had planned to talk to Boyd after the show, as well as get my copies of EP1 and EP2 autographed. Jonathan, Weston, and Stacy signed them last year; I was trying to get Sherri and Chauntelle’s signatures this time. I guess I could have hung around outside afterwards, but it was below freezing and there was basketball to be watched!
I still don’t understand the 115 people figure, every show I have ever attended at the Exit/In had more people than that. I am trying to figure out who to contact about the actions the manager took, maybe the police or the Better Business Bureau. In the mean time I have also emailed the management requesting a full refund. Anyway, it was an upsetting ending to what was otherwise a great night.
Listening to: Eisley- Final Noise EP (iTunes)
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I have been doing a lot with my MP3 blog lately, but I have forgotten all about this one. Big win for Detroit last night over Miami. The Pistons have been playing bad for about a month now, and the Heat have been the hottest team in basketball. Miami dominated the first half and led by 12 in the 3rd, but going into the 4th the Pistons were up 1 and won 82-73. Very important game mentally for Detroit.
The NCAA Tournament is in full swing, I love all the upsets. I am in two groups for picking the games, and am doing awful. I picked tons of low seeds this year. The only positive thing is that my championship game scenario is still possible, with Boston College defeating West Virginia for the title. Very unlikely, but if it does happen I will win both of my groups by a landslide.
I recently found advance copies of the new Brandtson and Stavesacre albums online. I have found a ridiculous amount of albums online in the past few months that have not been released, I don't know where they are all coming from. The nice thing about it is that I get the mp3s early, then buy the vinyl when the album is released, and never even have to get the CD. So then I listen to the album on either my turntable or my iPod.
About the albums, the new Brandtson, "Hello, Control" is pure dance. I have known this for months, but nothing prepared me for my first listen. I don't like it all that much, but I am very impressed the band could change directions like this. The song "Earthquakes and Sharks" is the highlight, and is one of the catchiest pop songs I have ever heard. If heard by the right people it could be (and should be) a huge radio hit. I elaborate more on the new Stavesacre album, "How to Live with a Curse" on my other blog. In short, it is outstanding, the best thing the band has done since the 1990s.
My wife and I are going to see Eisley tomorrow in Nashville at the Exit/In, we are excited!
Listening to: Brandtson- Hello, Control
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