The Kills @ First Avenue 5/5/11 (Concert Review)

Every generation has its notable musical duos. Whether it be The Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, Milli Vanilli, The White Stripes (or somewhere in between), the two-person group is one of the most difficult things to pull of in modern music. Last night at First Avenue, The Kills tossed out a giant middle finger to that notion as they commanded the sold-out Minneapolis crowd with a near 90 minute barrage of punkish energy mixed with bluesy sophistication. Never did being a duo seem so simple, but Alison Mosshart & Jamie Hince did exactly that, while at the same time exuding a confident "this is how you perform" aura.

Opening with "No Wow" which brought many a 'wow' from the capacity crowd, The Kills were welcomely in our face but eased into our ears (which was very much appreciated after Cold Cave's, um, loud opening set). After they continued with the rocking "Kissy Kissy," the duo jumped into their most recent work, Blood Pressures, head on. "Heart is a Beating Drum" and "Future Stars Slow" were heard back to back, while Mosshart & Hince seductively scanned the the audience with entrancing eyes. Mosshart flailed back-and-forth wildly, her jet black hair whipping through the cold blue lights as her hilarious Paddy Costello-emblazoned tee seemed to get equal attention.

Soon after, they got into their current single, "Satellite," which was given a jolt of live energy, something the album version can never live up to. The real treat during the early night show for me, though, was the excellent rendition of "Baby Says," easily my favorite song on the new disc (and the most perfectly reimagined of their live set). Mosshart paced along the stage, brushed her hair back and spit a few times (which, yeah, she can make sexy), all while somehow sounding innocent and empowering at the same time. As they quickly got into the main set closer "Sour Cherry" a few songs later, not a single sweaty soul in the club had eyes for anyone but Mosshart.

After a brief break, the two stepped back onstage for a breather of an encore opener, "The Last Goodbye," which allowed Mosshart to showcase her chops (and her hair some more). This would've been a perfect closer, but alas, they had more. "Pots & Pans" was especially epic, but it was "Fried My Little Brains" that put the proverbial cork in the night. Hince & Mosshart bounded spastically as the clamoring crowd urged on every note, every movement. Seeing two performers of this stature destroy the conventional thinking of duos so painlessly was truly a sight (and sound) to enjoy.

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+)