The Pains of Being Pure at Heart & Twin Shadow @ Triple Rock Social Club 4/25/11 (Concert Review)

Last night, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Twin Shadow both made their Minneapolis debut, rewarding a sold-out Triple Rock crowd for their patience with two equally invigorating sets filled with 80s & 90s nostalgia, without ever sounding dated or forced.

Twin Shadow (aka George Lewis Jr.) kicked off the evening with a commanding 50-minute set focusing solely on 2010's Forget, a successful freshman record that I had found to be good, not great. After last night's set, though, I'm eager to revisit the 11 songs on Forget, as Lewis and his 3 backing touring members gave refreshing new touches on the entire record. "Slow" and "When We're Dancing" were executed perfectly, adding some spastic hi-hat to already danceable tunes. "Castles in the Snow" was the set's highlight, as Lewis & crew seemed to breathe in the positive energy that was being hurled at them from the appreciative crowd.

While the musicianship was first class, so was the banter with the crowd, allowing Lewis' endearing side to shine. Mid-set, someone exclaimed "Do you have shirts for people without chest hair?" After a quick grin, Lewis coyly retorted, "paint it on and become a fucking man." With two songs left in the set, one member of the crowd yelled out what could've been a collective perception of his peers, "why aren't you headlining?" It took a smitten Lewis a full song to answer, giving The Pains of Being Pure at Heart their due as deserved headliners. Twin Shadow launched into their final song, which delivered the only groan of the evening, but a positive one as it was just an indication that the crowd didn't want the set to conclude.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart took the stage after a fairly quick intermission which saw some of the bouncing crowd disperse to make way for the shoegazers in the audience to move to the front of the stage. Kicking off with the title track to their excellent new record Belong, Pains instantly showcased why their young talent has been blessed with so much positive buzz in recent months. Much of the early set selections were from Belong, which somehow didn't manage to exhilarate the crowd as one would have expected (or maybe they were still tired from hopping around during Twin Shadow's set), but they still shone with expert craftsmanship. "The Body" and "Heart In Your Heartbreak" were dominant, while the nice little addition of "Higher than the Stars" was a welcome treat.

Like Twin Shadow's Lewis before him, Pains frontman Kip Berman has the poise of someone twice his age. The way his vocals ease into then ooze out of the microphone is reminiscent of 1/2 the bands you would've seen on Alternative Nation back in the day...maybe that's why I kept on thinking I was in an episode of My So Called Life...or at the Peach Pit After Dark. Berman's boyish charm began displaying itself in the second half of the set, and he began to look a little more comfortable as well, opting to chat with the crowd about, surprisingly, football. "Sorry about your quarterback situation," he said with minimal sarcasm, before discussing the merits of Adrian Peterson during the next song break. As Pains spiked in "Young Adult Friction" and a couple other tracks from their debut self-titled record, the crowd became just as relaxed. Berman blushingly thanked the crowd for their hospitality (while keyboardist Peggy Wang declared  they need to come back to the Triple Rock for Free Bacon Night) before launching into Belong's closer, the crunching "Strange."

While an encore wasn't necessary, Pains came back for a quick two songs and an invitation to the crowd to discuss football & indie-rock with them after the show, conversations in which several crowd members happily partook. 

Beastie Boys Stream Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2

Beastie Boys know exactly how to kick off the week. After a planned leak of their new Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 (which actually is the track list for Pt. 1, which was delayed...and caused many headaches) at Madison Square Garden this past Saturday via center court boombox, the rap legends have made their entire new album available for  free streaming online. The record will be released May 3, but check it out via SoundCloud below. And fair warning, it's pretty dope.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys

Rock the Garden 2011 Lineup Announced!

After a couple months of guessing, speculating and just joking about possible bands for this year's Rock the Garden, The Current & The Walker Art Center officially announced the lineup this afternoon. As anticipated, the 4 artists bring together a wide variety of sounds, and trigger the unavoidable difference of opinion from local music "critics."

My Morning Jacket will headline the event, definitely bringing "rock" back into its title. While this can't necessarily be considered a coup for the promoters (that would've been reserved for the likes of Arcade Fire or The Strokes), they have tapped a reputable, relevant and intense live band to cap off the festivities. Kudos to the Walker for actually securing a legit headliner for this year's edition. The middle of the day will be taken over by R&B/Blues legend Booker T. Jones and the always stunning and intoxicating vocal prowess of one Neko Case (to which I give another huzzah!). This year's local opener is Pitchfork riches-to-rags rockers Tapes 'N Tapes, definitely the least exciting act of the day, but one that will undoubtedly get the 10,000+ crowd in shape for an overall impressive lineup.

Tickets are on sale now to Walker/MPR members (well, so says The Current...yet again, there's nowhere to enter in your Member ID # on the Walker's page, essentially making the tickets already available to the general public). Get them now, because they won't be available for long.

Quick Hits 4/11/11 (Album Reviews)

Architecture in Helsinki * Moment Bends - Abandoning their quirky, spastic pop shifts for a more cohesive and structured sound, the Aussies still find a way to connect on a fun-loving level, despite the fact that (aside from "That Beep") a lot of what made them so easily lovable is not heard this time around. (B)

Panda Bear * Tomboy - Panda Bears are cute. Panda Bear is boring. I'll take the black & white bamboo-eaters over this laptop drivel any day of the week. (C-)

Cold Cave * Cherish The Light Years - It's as if Placebo and Deadsy [for some reason] hooked up, spawned a son that listened to way too much Bauhaus and forced his friends at knifepoint to be in a band. They should prove to be a worthy opener for The Kills next month at First Avenue. (B)

Thursday * No Devolución - The band that once defined the screamo genre now seems tired & uninspired, and way too hung up on synths. It's been a slow decline since 2001's Full Collapse...but now, they may have finally hit rock bottom. (D+)

The Joy Formidable @ 7th Street Entry 4/6/11 (Concert Review)

Every so often, a band comes along that makes you say, "damn, I fricking love music." When that same band also makes you say, "damn, I love live music," you know you're onto something. Wednesday night at the apparently sold out 7th Street Entry (I guess the tickets sold at the door pushed it to capacity), The Joy Formidable were that band. For me. For my friends. For every single audience member that was conscientious enough to be there.  I say 'conscientious,' because this was The Joy Formidable's first time in Minnesota, and the large majority of people in attendance were there by word-of-mouth, either by witnessing one of their webcasts from SXSW, or strictly sight-unseen thanks to tremendous written buzz. There was a certain energy churning throughout the Entry before either opener took the stage. We all were waiting for this, and expected to be impressed.

The Lonely Forest kicked off the night with a surprisingly provocative set. The young Washingtonians ripped through a handful of songs over the course of 25 boisterous minutes. For those that showed up early (about 1/3 of the overall crowd), The Lonely Forest played their hearts out, spinning poppy hooks with angst-filled breakdowns. For those looking for a loud evening, The Lonely Forest started it off justly. They'll be back in town opening for Death Cab for Cutie at First Avenue on 5/21. If you've got tickets to this show, get there early and be equally impressed.

Mona was next, and awfully forgettable. The Nashville foursome had matching haircuts and equally consistent attitudes. They seemed like they had a ton more fun watching The Lonely Forest's set than they did playing their own. I was uninterested in their generic Nashville-rock sound, even before the lead singer/guitarist spit his fourth loogie into the Entry's overhangs.

After what seemed like a 16 hour set break (it was actually just a little over 40 minutes), The Joy Formidable took the stage to a buzzing and breezing crowd, half of which were on their tiptoes, trying to get a glimpse of the tiny but commanding Ritzy Bryan. Throughout the next 45 minutes, our senses were blown. Any idea I had of how to play rock music seemed to not matter. The trio played with unbridled passion and the kind of verve you'd expect from a band headlining Glastonbury, not playing to a crowd of 250 sweaty Minnesotans, touring in support of their first full length record (The Big Roar). Opening with a non-album track, the three-piece immediately grabbed the small club's attention. It wasn't until they followed with "The Magnifying Glass" and "Austere" that the crowd got truly frenzied. There was a kind of lovable tension in the room....like we were all going to burst with excitement, but were doing our best to contain ourselves since we couldn't take our eyes off the stage.

Speaking of eyes. Jesus. Throughout the set, Ritzy's glare soared over the crowd...and if you ask any guy in the audience, she was starting directly into his respective soul. I'm fairly certain she only bothered to blink between songs. The rest of the time, she was fixated on thrashing her guitar or giving the crowd welcome goosebumps. As the set continued on, "Cradle" became much more epic than it is on disc, and "I Don't Want To See You Like This" saw the crowd shouting the dynamic chorus right back at Ritzy. I felt enthusiastic about the band's connection with the crowd, and it was clear that everyone in the room was on the same page.

Then it was time for "Whirring," their recent single that's been getting a fair amount of airplay on The Current as of late. It's an approachable alt-rock jewel that turns into a monstrous 7-minute jam, and the translation from record to stage was nothing short of remarkable. Ritzy and company lured us into a false sense of security with the accessibility of the first three minutes, then absolutely tore us apart with a barrage of effect-laden guitar & bass, and ferocious drumming that I think had me headbanging at one point. Ritzy flung herself around the stage, her gorgeous platinum hair bouncing with her. Not a single member of the audience knew what to do. We just stared, seemingly mouthing a collective "HOLY SHIT." As the grandiose guitar crunched to a close, the band left the stage, with absolutely no intent of coming back out for an encore. Although we all stood there, staring...we didn't want them to come back out either.

The Joy Formidable put on a near-perfect show, one of the best I've seen in recent memory. I want to see them again. Now.

Bright Eyes @ First Avenue 4/4/11 (Concert Review)

First Avenue was crowded and sweaty last night, both with good cause. Conor Oberst and his Bright Eyes troupe took to the stage for the first show of a two-night stand, one that saw him celebrate highlights of his young but expansive career & catalog.

Titus Andronicus expectedly tore through their opening set, mixing punk energy with folky empathy, all while having a damn good time up on the stage (one that they could headline in a heartbeat if The Current gave them the kind of airplay reserved for bands that don't embody half the energy as Titus Andronicus). Throughout their 40-minute set, the New Jersey natives displayed the kind of verve that veteran bands would envy, all while bouncing around with looks of sheer fun-loving gratitude (especially guitarist/violinist Amy Klein, who I'm pretty sure didn't stop moving during their entire set). Existing fans were more than pleased, while new ones were instantly created.

With the kind of energy swirling the room during Titus Andronicus' set, it would be easy to think that Bright Eyes would have to kick it up a notch just to keep pace...and that's exactly what happened. As the house lights dimmed, we were given "Firewall," the curious spoken word to glimmering soundscape that launches the new record, The People's Key. Immediately following this build-up of an opener, Oberst & company launched in to the always crowd-pleasing "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)," which had the packed house hanging on every word. The quick 1-2 punch of "Haile Selasse" and "Jejune Stars" followed, proving that even with his new songs, Oberst could enrapture his fans in a moment's notice. As the new songs raged, so did the stage show, our eyes being offered a stunning mix of deliberately futuristic lighting and pseudo-camera work that projected some scrappy guitar images on the digital backdrop.

As Oberst settled in to a groove, we were treated to a guessing-game of Bright Eyes highlights. Their entire catalog was explored throughout the set, and even for those of us that peaked at the band's set lists from prior dates on this tour, there was no way to tell what was going to be played next. "Trees Get Wheeled Away" and "Approximate Sunlight" were especially intriguing, while "Hot Knives" and the new "Shell Games" provided for two of the night's many highlights. Throughout the course of the 20-song main set, Oberst only hit a few bumps, and that could be attributed more to the increasingly [temperature] hot room mixed with dipping into his one true love, French red wine...as he put it, "something good."

After we were presented the highly-underrated "A Machine Spiritual (In The People's Key)," Oberst dedicated "Old Soul Song" to Michelle Bachmann, referring to the waste-of-space politician as "reptilian," prompting some hearty cheers from the still-alert crowd. The set ended not with "Lua" (which was expected), but rather with the subtle and sweet "First Day of My Life." Oberst walked off the stage to a booming ovation and only paused briefly before he and his fellow band mates gave us a stunning encore, consisting most notably of an in-your-face version of "Road to Joy," appropriate as we were taken through a welcome journey of Oberst's career the entire evening.

During the encore, Oberst noted that he would be doing his first DJ set at another Minneapolis club (which anyone on Twitter knew to be The 400 Bar) after the show concluded. I decided to make the trek, and for the most part, it was forgettable. Oberst coyly took to the small DJ booth shortly after 1:00 AM and proceeded to spin everything from The Cure to Kurt Vile to Cyndi Lauper. He seemed about 16 sheets to the wind, using the equipment stacks as support as he graciously took photos with the small group of fans that followed him (and Titus Andronicus) to the West Bank bar. I hope he was able to get some sleep last night, because another full crowd will be on hand at First Avenue tonight to witness the Bright Eyes spectacle.

The Kills - Blood Pressures (Album Review)

THE KILLS * BLOOD PRESSURES

(Domino Records)

The Kills are a raw, seductive band. Alison Mosshart is a natural, sultry frontwoman. Jamie Hince is a technical and innovative collaborator. Blood Pressures is a damn fine album, and a step forward for the duo. Building on their thunderous bluesy sounds that defined the band before Mosshart's brief stint fronting The Dead Weather, The Kills have tweaked their vision throughout their fourth full-length, stealing away any comfortable feeling we once had with their direction.

Blood Pressures kicks off with the driving chants of "Future Starts Slow," which shows the duo matching each other word for word, note for note, in perfect unison. Hince's guitar howls then fades to a close as we get into "Satellite," the album's first single, and a track surprisingly heavy on dirty upstrokes. The chorus (or was that the pre-chorus?) is a perfectly haunting collection of "ohs," again ideally doubled by both band members. As the track steadily thrashes to a close, we're reminded of the unique rhythms that these two have always been able to produce. Both "Nail In My Coffin" and "DNA" are deliciously head-nodding and capable of book-ending the curious inclusion of "Wild Charms," a brief intermission of sorts, featuring Hince on lead vocals in a "peekaboo I see you" manner. Enjoyable? Yes. Necessary? TBD.

The second half of the album kicks off with the album's best track, "Baby Says." This return-to-form showcases Mosshart's vocals oozing with with incapacitating want as Hince's perfectly delayed guitar scales the track's exterior. Reminiscent of their earlier [more] lo-fi days, "Baby Says" is a statement track, one that says "this is how you record music."  Mosshart continues to shine as "Last Goodbye" gives her plenty of room to put her vocals in the forefront, all while we hear Hince create a sound wall reminiscent of something you'd hear off of a Stars record. As the album comes to a close with the at-times upbeat "Pots & Pans," we can't help but notice that Mosshart learned more than a thing or two from Dead Weather band mate Jack White, as the occasional twang resonates between her vocals and Hince's buzzing acoustic guitar. 

Blood Pressures comes across as a reunion of sorts. Throughout the 11 songs, both Mosshart & Hince give off a "I missed you" vibe; one their fans will surely reciprocate.

Grade: A-

J Mascis & Kurt Vile @ 7th Street Entry 4/2/11 (Concert Review)

Last night, a couple hundred people packed into the overheated 7th Street Entry to see a legend of alt-rock and presumably a legend in the making; two stunning guitar technicians that have an ear and feel for the craft that's not just enviable, but one that also provokes stunned jealousy.

To kick off what essentially felt like a double-headlining bill, Kurt Vile played a spirited yet oh-too-short 40 minute set that left the steadily sweatier crowd clamoring for more. His guitar-work was tantamount to wizardry, showing progressive work throughout the mix of new and old tunes, even though he still seemed down from having his pedals stolen at SXSW a couple weeks back. Backed by 2 other guitarists (no bass) and a drummer that preferred maracas & mallets to typical drumsticks, Vile proved that the mountainous buzz he's been receiving lately is well-deserved. His current single, "Jesus Fever" got an energetic kick in the teeth while the rousing cover of The Boss' "Downbound Train" was a raucous and appropriate closer. Maybe this was all he had planned, or maybe his set was cut short because of opener Fauna fluting a bit too long, but after 7 electrifying songs, I couldn't help but want just a little bit more...and I know I wasn't the only one.

J Mascis started his set coyly, yet with an implicit bang. Opting to open with Dinosaur Jr. favorite "Thumb" rather than a track off his excellent new solo album, Mascis was winking at us (and the inexplicably large amount of frat boys & woo girls in attendance), showing that his set would be anything but ordinary. After dipping into the new record for a bit, this point was proven HARD. Answering Vile's earlier cover with one of his own, Mascis decided to treat us to a rendition of Edie Brickell's "Circle of Friends." Yes. Edie Brickell. And you know what? It was damn enjoyable. The way Mascis worked his loops and mixed in bone-chilling fuzz with his reverb-heavy acoustic all evening, he could've covered almost anything and made it sound good. Vile joined Mascis onstage mid-set for a couple tracks that sounded a bit muddy, but were still exhilarating in a teacher-and-student sense. After a few more Dinosaur Jr. numbers, a handful of songs of the new disc and a quick three song encore that took 28 seconds to begin, Mascis left the stage as humbly as he first took it, leaving a crowd of believers pleasantly astonished.