i hate the sound of guitars » indie rock

Fugazi Live Series

guitarlover — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:57:22 +0000

Joe Gross’s write up in Spin seemed like a reasonable starting point, but I’m going to go a lot deeper, and I’ll update this post with the results of my explorations.

001 1987.09.03 Washington DC, USA, Wilson Center

I’m going to go against conventional wisdom and say that the band’s first gig is worth listening to for historic reasons if nothing else, but absolutely not where you should start — there are only glimmers of the brilliance this band would soon achieve. This version of Fugazi is positively tentative, Ian MacKaye actually apologizes for inadequacies of the performance. If you saw them anytime in the 90s or after, this is a revelation just in how far they evolved. It’s also striking how much MacKaye’s guitar vocabulary in this trio performance includes held notes and noisy bits (which I think of as mostly Guy Picciotto’s domain) as well as the jack-hammer muted eighth-notes I think of as characteristic of his playing.15 Dec 2011

186 1990.03.14 Athens GA, USA, 40 Watt

So far my favorite of the early shows — 2 1/2 years on, they’re closing in on their 200th performance, and starting to sound like what I think of as Fugazi. Good set list. I like the “last call” announcement. 15 Dec 2011

420 1992.03.06 Washington DC, US, St. Stephens Church

By this point Fugazi is playing like the band members are reading one another’s minds. Jaw-dropping improv breaks in “Shut the Door” and “Reprovisional” are among the highlights here. 15 Dec 2011

478 1992.06.28 Berlin, GER, Tempodrome

“Suggestion” is the surprise here — it’s far from my favorite Fugazi tune, too nakedly preachy — the extended call & response break between MacKaye and Picciotto is almost chilling. “Glueman” is pretty amazing, too. I love the snare sound on this show, way upfront with a healthy amount of ‘verb. 15 Dec 2011

508 1993.03.21 Washington DC, US, Freedom Plaza

This one is remarkable in how honestly it documents what it could be like to experience Fugazi at a protest rally. This homeless rally took place in spitting distance of the White House, with repeated breaks — one thirteen wearing minutes long — while the event organizers negotiate with authorities to continue the event. Also a classic song-screeching-to-a-halt for MacKaye to request that an audience member modify his behavior. When the band is playing, they’re monstrous despite the dodgy sound (honestly/correctly flagged on the Live Series site as “poor.”) Not a starting point by any means, but gawd, it brings back some memories. 15 Dec 2011

510 1993.04.04 Charlottesville, VA, Trax

Hate to just parrot Mr. Gross, but “Promises” here is sumpin’ else. Fantastic vocal from Ian, pretty good recording of some fierce improv. The whales are angry! The run of old songs Gross mentions is also indeed intense. “Smallpox Champion” is a standout, too. Actually, the problem with this band is I want to claim almost every song is a standout. Audiophiles might want to start somewhere else, though.16 Dec 2011

Joe Pernice (and some Scud Mountain Boys)/Paul Melancon 25 Aug 2011

guitarlover — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:09:25 +0000

The Lizard Lounge was crammed to the gills for the very welcome work-night friendly early set. Joe Pernice opened with a handful of solo songs, including the title track from Goodbye Killer and “Telescope,” a sneak peek at the in-progress Pernice Brothers album (he said it was mostly too rockin’ to translate well to an acoustic setting). He was, if you’ll forgive the baseball reference, Joe being Joe: surly, beautiful, self-effacing, tender, self-aggrandizing, sly, heartfelt — all at pretty much the same time.

Then he brought up his brother Bob on electric guitar, and his two of his former bandmates in Scud Mountain Boys, Tom Shea on mandolin, and Stephen Desaulniers on electric bass (since Bob played some guitar in Scud Mountain Boys, it was very nearly a full reunion, but Pernice mentioned there’d been some recent discussion with original guitarist Bruce Tull about playing together again, too). Last night’s set was special in a way you don’t get to hear very often: both a little rough, and also spot-on. I don’t think the quick pre-song conversations about key and tempo were staged for the audience’s benefit, and there were a few audible blown cues — but the guys recovered from them really fast, and without a trace of tentativeness. Only band members who are really listening to each other can pull that off. Pernice was visibly laughing in the first chorus of Olivia Newton John’s “Please Mister Please” — which didn’t stop him from singing it like a heart wound was being reopened. And Desaulnier’s harmonies were just there in a way I wouldn’t expect after a 14-year hiatus. Magic.

In addition to being a fantastic writer, Pernice is also — back to baseball again! — a five-tool singer. He’s solid at the technical things rockers are not necessarily known for: intonation, breath control, mic technique — and he’s got compelling phrasing and often gut-wrenching (but critically understated, not oversold) emotional delivery, to boot. To my mind, Pernice and Ted Leo are at the top of the male indie-rock singing heap. So when I saw some singer-songwriter dude I never heard of getting set to open for Pernice, my first instinct was pity: “poor guy, he’s about to get schooled.” Only it turns out Paul Melançon is also a pretty great singer — killer pure tenor, an effortless upper register, gorgeous delivery and solid technique. He knocked Neil Finn’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” — by no means an easy song to sing — outta the flippin’ park. Basically after about 4 or 5 bars of his first number I’d decided to buy his latest disc, and after I stopped being too distracted by his voice to pay attention to the songs (and his wry patter), I was committed to picking up everything I could lay hands on.

Dept. of egregious naval gazing: The Lizard Lounge was one of the venues for my first date with she who is now my wife (my wife! I feel like that always needs an exclamation point) and the Scud Mountain Boys, in a weird but awesome bill with Jenny Toomey and Jale, were in the first handful of live shows I ever wrote about on the Internets. Danger Will Robinson! Creeping nostalgia!

quick take : mixtapes : hope is for people

guitarlover — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:40:37 +0000

Holy crap, I haven’t written about Mixtapes before? Really!? I have literally listened to this band more than any other artist this year.

Mixtapes live in a weird intersection between well-produced pop-punk and lo-fi indie pop. On the one hand they have a fatter drum sound than I expect from low-budget indies; on the other, the co-ed vocals sometimes have just enough unsteadiness to be endearing (not grating). They write insanely hooky tunes about stuff like sexual frustration, classic Metallica, coping with life, feeling sour grapes-y about an ex, and guilt over not wanting to go to a party. They tackle these subjects with keen observation and sharp humor. If they have a flaw it might be a little too much self-awareness; I could give them a song-about-writing-songs penalty flag, but it’s waived on account of general awesomeness. So far they favor frequent, short releases, which I am totally down with. The recent “Hope is For People,” is as a fine starting place; the title track is for sure on my year’s best shortlist. mixtapesohio will help get you hooked up with almost the whole enchilada. You’ll need to hit up Death to False Hope records to score the “Castle Songs” single (while you’re at DtFH, check out the Candy Hearts release, too). Most of Mixtapes’ releases are Creative Commons licensed, so you can download ‘em legit for free, then kick a donation to the band if you love their music like I do, and want more, more, more.

quick take : lemuria/cheap girls : split single

guitarlover — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:18:00 +0000

On the A-side, Lemuria offer two more examples of the smart, catchy, indie rock that’s made Pebble one of my most-played albums of the year so far. I expected their side to be swell, and it delivers. But the revelation here for me is Cheap Girls’ “Pure Hate.” I’m not quite sure what “And I/Keep breathing pure hate into ever’thing/I only wanna stare you down,” means, but I am sure it rides a mighty, indelible hook, setting up and releasing tension in the space of a few bars. I wouldn’t exactly say that Cheap Girls sound like the Lemonheads; Ian Graham’s voice is gruffer, and this band as a whole is heftier. But there’s still something about Graham’s relaxed phrasing and the way the vocal melody sits above the fragmented-arpeggio style riff that reminds me of Dando’s outfit circa It’s a Shame About Ray. I am now A Fan.

quick take : little scream : the golden record

guitarlover — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:58:18 +0000

When I heard “The Heron and the Fox,” it knocked me out. In that subtly arranged song, lovely finger-picked guitar and an extraordinary vocal performance from Little Scream leader Laurel Sprengelmeyer (delicate to the point of fragiliy, with unusual phrasing) unite to deliver a narrative that’s intriguing but ultimately obscure. It’s probably the strongest composition, but I enjoy the album as a whole, and I appreciate the breadth of its palette, which includes weird, clattery percussion, electric guitar, and odd keyboard textures; although it’s largely acoustic, it’s definitely not a folk record (freak or no). Arcade Fire/Bell Orchestre’s Richard Parry co-produced, which makes sense.

quick take : the naked and famous : passive me, aggressive you

guitarlover — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:25:05 +0000

If I didn’t know The Naked and Famous were from New Zealand I’d be positive they were Canadian. It’s not that they sound specifically like, say, Arcade Fire or Metric, but they combine modern indie rock, new wave, and just a smidge of disco in simpatico proportions. The Naked and Famous add a goodly quantity of unruly guitar to the blend, featuring that gloriously distressed, grainy low-end that seems fashionable (but which I am not at all tired of) . I could do without the retro cheese synth toms in “Eyes,” but mostly I think this is killer. Year’s best short-list for sure.

heads up! the stairs

guitarlover — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:21:37 +0000

Ryan Walsh, leader of the much-beloved-’round-here Hallelujah the Hills, used to be in a band called The Stairs, who released a pair of albums and some odds-and-ends. Looking at ‘em with hindsight, The Stairs recordings seem like a bit of an exploratory/learning/growing experience, with Walsh and crew figuring out their songwriting and performing strengths, and how to express their big ideas in a studio. I wouldn’t necessarily say The Stairs albums are as consistent as HtH’s, but they’ve got some very fine tunes on them. If this wakes your curiosity, the happy news is that there’s a brand-new tumblr blog about The Stairs and a bandcamp site for The Stairs where you can download both albums.

quick take : horrid red : pink flowers (ep)

guitarlover — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:56:53 +0000

Sounds like Joy Division for once not because of a gloomy baritone voice, but because bass and guitar parts recall Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner. Also sounds a bit like the instruments were at one of a tunnel, and the recording equipment was at the other. Some of this is hooky and/or pretty enough to compensate, notably the title track (more New Order than Joy Division, with the bass popping forward to carry the melody over big pillows of fake strings), and the graceful instrumental, “Vanished Along the Canal.”

quick take : johnny foreigner : certain songs are cursed (e.p.)

guitarlover — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:59:15 +0000

I love this band so much, and here are four more reasons why. The first two songs (”What Drummers Get” and “Twin Sisterzz”) operate in JF’s primary mode: high energy, with yelpy vocals, song sections colliding into each other like bumper cars, with surprisingly compelling hooks (and sometimes quiet, pretty bits, too, lurking amid the clatter). “Johnny Foreigner Vs. You” is arranged almost completely for piano and voice; “Certain Songs” is an acoustic guitar tune with a quietly intense vocal and a smidge of found sound. It’s exciting to hear the mounting evidence that Johnny Foreigner can attack on more fronts than was initially obvious.

update : mars classroom : the new theory of everything

guitarlover — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:39:01 +0000

One disadvantage of my “quick take” approach to album reviews is that sometimes my response to a record changes significantly over time. Fortunately on the internets I can amend earlier commentary when I think it’s necessary.
I’ve been feeling bad about my initial response to Mars Classroom’s The New Theory of Everything almost since I posted it. I do still think it’s true that it sounds less like Big Dipper than the Pollard/McCaughan collaboration Go Back Snowball sounded like Superchunk — but I no longer think that’s a useful insight. And, anyway, it’s not a qualitative judgment. (Also, the almost-title-track? Pretty Big Dipper-y.)
I further suggested that maybe the basic parts for The New Theory of Everything had been left on the cutting room floor of the alleged new Big Dipper album* — which now strikes me as unfounded and unfair.
I was also remiss in not mentioning Robert Beerman’s presence — he was in Pell Mell, which, at least in my book, qualifies Mars Classroom as a bonafide supergroup. (You might remember Pell Mell as one of the more inside artists on the seminal SST instrumental rock No Age compilation.)
The bottom line here is that I gave a so-so review to a record that has really grown on me. Sorry, Mars Classroom. You can stick me in the dunce corner if you want.

* & I still get chills up and down my spine typing that.