popwreckoning

Spring is here in Seattle and with the gorgeous weather comes something we all have been waiting for: the release of The Classic Crime’s junior album, aptly named Vagabonds. While many have been anxious to see the newest chapter from the indie rock group that has stolen the hearts of many Pacific Northwesterners, the album is sure to be one that you keep in your car or on your iPod for a long while- and can even benefit charity if you play your cards right.

Recorded in just three weeks, the eleven track album is a little different than the work we have previously seen from the Seattle native quartet, but still has the same base sound with the same incredibly thought provoking lyrics that we are used from the nomadic group. During an interview with vocalist Matt MacDonald he stated, “The production is a lot different- Silver Cord is epic and expansive: expensive tones, songs fit in that vibe. For Vagabonds, it is more of an “I am poor and I don’t care. I am still happy just making music” theme, and it has some really raw production, uncut, unproduced, a lot of one-take production, very organic. It has integrity. We wanted to convey EXACTLY where we are at with the band and our producer really pushed us to make the album this way.”

All eleven tracks are unique in the fact that they hold a very live sound. The three week production went smoothly due to the band working with producer Michael Baskette on the previous three albums, and according to Matt, “We were looking for an ebb and flow, really looking for that live sound and really looking for the organic sounds- no stopping to tune midway through a recording, no stopping to fix a miss-tuned drum. There was a lot of me going and laying down a demo and then turning around and just laying down the track. It saved a lot of time and the hassle of getting the process down- we knew how each other worked and work well together.” They managed to hit the nail on the head with their live sound (a perk of being a Seattleite is Classic Crime hometown shows) and has been done so well that you can close your eyes and practically imagine them playing within a close proximity to you. The tracks themselves are wrought with their best guitar work yet, amazing drums and powerful lyrics full of passion, faith, honesty and more about the human condition. Wandering through multiple time signatures, chord structures, and dynamics in both melody and rhythm, the music ties into the lyrics to create an incredible journey for any audiophile.

With that in mind, they have always been masters of creating an emotional album. Once again they play both ends of the spectrum, from hope to despair, love to hurt, and every aspect in between. When doing this, some bands can pull it off, and other times it just sounds sloppy. Due to their excellent track record of pulling off a wide variety of emotions in an album, I was not at all surprised when Matt made a comment about the thematic vibes. “We actually cut two songs from the album because they didn’t fit with the rest of the material. We wanted to show a lot of angles of emotions but still wanted them all to fit under the same umbrella, with the same vibe, but at the same time, not being redundant,” said MacDonald. The album starts out with a more sarcastic, yet happy tone before taking on a more honest and raw passionate vibe. It makes for an incredible listening experience for a myriad of moods and situations.

Along with drawing influence from real life situations, they also draw influence from their Seattle roots. During the song “Vagabonds” they reference a particular intersection in Seattle (Dexter and Denny, about seven blocks from Seattle Center and the trademark Space Needle), and have previously mentioned other locale in other songs, even naming their acoustic EP Seattle Sessions. Seattleites always love it when a band will pledge hometown allegiance or promote our wondrous Emerald City, and The Classic Crime is no exception. For anyone who is a musician or an audiophile, the song “Four Chords” will strike a particular affinity, as it states “and even if I die tomorrow, I’ll be glad my life was filled with song.” If you’ve ever had your heart broken, chances are “Broken Mess” and “Different Now” will be something you can identify with. The lyrics are real, the situation is real, and believable- and this really sets them apart from other bands. You can connect with the music and that always seems to make the album a little bit extra special, whether you are a local fan or someone in another country.

Along with being able to connect with their fans, the band also always makes time to give back what they can into making the world a better place. After finishing recording Vagabonds in October 2009, the band then traveled to Haiti in November to volunteer with JiHM, just 8 short weeks before the 7.0 earthquake that devastated the country. After seeing the high amount of poverty and seeing that they were in need of as much help as they could get, the band decided to give all of the proceeds from the preorder of their new album to Haiti earthquake relief! “After seeing how blessed we are that we get to be in this band, and do what we love, and make music- we want to do what we can to help,” stated Matt.

With all of their charitable efforts and an excellent album on the way, things could not be better for The Classic Crime. The upcoming album release show should be one incredible show. On April 6th, fans will take over the Showbox at the Market in downtown Seattle. Once again, the Seattle hometown-show crowd is anxiously awaiting this show and so far, it is creating quite a bit of commotion. Look for a review of the show here, and preorder the album today! I promise you will be coining yourself a Vagabond before the end of the album, just in time for the warmer months ahead.

Track Listing:
1. A Perfect Voice
2. Cheap Shots
3. Solar Powered Life
4. Four Chords
5. Vagabonds
6. The Happy Nihilist
7. My Name
8. Everything And Nothing
9. The Count
10. Different Now
11. Broken Mess

Written by Annastasia Gallaher

Every so often, reality slaps me hard across the face. Reality: Manchester Orchestra is a phenomenal live band and they’ve only gotten better with time and their much deserved success. Reality: not everyone is as aware of this band as they should be because they’re not quite on the musical plain that I’m on. So when explaining this tour to my friends, I had to pick my jaw up from the floor and explain that no, Manchester Orchestra was not a futbol/soccer team and that while musically gifted, they weren’t even an orchestra. In my best attempt to describe their sound pre-show, I likened them to Brand New if Brand New had the chance to grow up in a southern rock scene, but even that description I didn’t feel was right. In truth, coming up with bands that they sound nothing like (i.e. Godsmack, Staind, Madonna) is a much easier task than drawing comparisons to which bands they’re akin.

Man O’s Atlanta brethren O’Brother opened up. In a failed attempt to judge books by their covers, I thought the v-necks and plaid meant these would have been more of the folk-southern rock, but once they began that notion went out the window. This was a hard set that was heavy with pounding drums. Earnest, but raw lyrics punched through with the beats. It was a bit too much for me though and I ached for a little reprieve from each of the hard-hitting numbers this group continued to deliver. It looked like Manchester’s Chris Freeman might have been filling in on drums for them, but from the scant information I’ve found online about this group, I have been unable to confirm that.

As a complete counter to O’ Brother was Scotland’s very popular Biffy Clyro. The shirtless trio covered in tattoos looked like they would deliver a harder set and from the half tune I overheard on the radio, I was expecting something along the lines of Blue October, but instead I got more of a power pop trio with traces of grunge. The tunes were ridiculously catchy, so I can see why they’re so popular in the UK. Singer Simon Neil cracked a smile as he hit the chorus to “Mountains,” which was probably due to pleasant surprise that this American audience knew the song better than expected. From their energetic live show to their charismatic tunes, it shouldn’t be long before they gain the recognition in the States that they’ve already garnered in Europe.

Biffy Clyro Set List:
Golden Rule
Living
Match?
The Captain
Many of Horror
Bubbles
Mountains

Perhaps my favorite opener of the night was the folk rock act of Tennessee’s The Features. While previous acts got the crowd moving with moshing action, this group had people clapping and singing along. I was blown away by some of the harmonies and dynamic control (I’m often impressed when vocals are still powerful despite the singer standing several feet away from microphones). As one of my friends pointed out, they’re like Kings of Leon, except you can actually understand what they’re saying. Perhaps that parallel is why the Features were the first act to sign to the Kings of Leon’s imprint.

The Features Set List:
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The Drawing Board
The Way It’s Meant to Be
Me & the Skirts
Foundation’s Cracked
The Temporary Blues
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Thursday

Finally it was the act that all had been waiting for: Manchester Orchestra.

I’m so used to singer Andy Hull hiding under a hat and behind a full beard that his appearance at the microphone sans hat and hair semi back out of his face, tucked behind his ears, was a shock, but a testament to how comfortable he’s become with the Kansas City audience.

They started things off with their light-hearted “50 Cent is my favorite rapper” number:

From there they delved into their popular, fast-driven tunes that inspire moshing, head-bobbing and even dancing and demand singing along. “Marcus” and “Shake It Out” especially stood out as Hull went from his yowl-like vocals on the verses into the full out rock vocals of the choruses. The band treated the audience to a new number and the promise of new material in the late summer before jumping back to more of their popular hits. Freeman, as always, was fascinating to watch as he did everything from playing extra drums to playing keys with his shirt pulled over his head to air guitar as he got swept away in the band’s music.

The band was thankful for the audience-love they were receiving, but not without limits.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but clapping isn’t going to work to work on this tune. It’s a slower, serious number. Nothing against participation, but just not here.” -Hull said to the audience at the beginning of  “Colly Strings,” one of the more emotionally open numbers and the calm of this amazing music storm of a show.

Participation was incredibly encouraged on radio hit “I’ve Got Friends” and on the beast of a song extension of “Where Have You Been?” “I’ve Got Friends” was a little all over the place tempo-wise and I imagine those going to hear a duplicate of the recording will be a bit dismayed. However, I for the most part, am a fan of this band experimenting on their live song versions, so when they ended the night with a 15-minute version of “Where Have You Been,” which is jokingly referred to as “Where Have You Been, Bitch?” on the set list, I went home a happy camper as did the rest of the audience.

If there was one thing that I learned from this show, it’s that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Biffy Clyro covered in tattoos had an edgy look, but pop rock tunes. O’Brother looked like indie folksters, but heavy southern rock music. Manchester Orchestra at first look or listen might be easy to understate or not understand, but are truly genius.  Now, I know that I can’t force my music taste on everyone, but I don’t understand how anyone can come out of a show like that unhappy or at least respectful of the brilliance they just witnessed. Some other Kansas publications (give you a clue: their name rhymes with the bitch) have had the audacity to describe this band as boring and they were disrespectful enough to not even bother getting band member names right in previous reviews. That just proves to me that they weren’t at the same show as me and the hundreds of other sweating fans. It shows that they slept through brilliant line twists like “You mean everything to nothing; you mean everything to me.” It proves that they are just ignorant and poorly-researched.

So Manchester Orchestra, if you’re reading this, forget what other publications said. And while I’m just a humble blog reviewer, you really do mean everything to me.

Independent radio has lost another voice as WOXY announced on their site Tuesday that they’d be suspending operations due to lack of funding. Here is their full message:

WOXY Listeners, Fans and Friends…

Due to current economic realities and the lack of ongoing funding for WOXY’s operations, we’ve been forced to suspend our live broadcasts as of March 23rd. We’re continuing to explore options to keep The Future of Rock and Roll alive. For business inquiries, please contact Bryan Jay (bryan@woxy.com) or John at Future Sounds (john@futuresounds.com).

Thanks for your years of dedicated support.

- Mike, Shiv, Joe, Paige, Brian and Bryan Jay

Green Day have been writing new material, preparing for the American Idiot broadway debut and now they’re adding a late summer tour to their already busy schedules.

We have some dates below, but the band says more will be announced soon (and there’s still a gap that aligns nicely with their rumored Lollapalooza performance).

Tour Dates:
August 3 -  Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center / On Sale 4/3
August 5 – Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center / On Sale 4/17
August 9 – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre / On Sale 3/27
August 11 – Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live On Sale / 4/9
August 12 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theater On Sale / 4/2
August 14 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC / On Sale 3/26
August 16 – Boston, MA @ Comcast Center / On Sale 3/27
August 18 – Toronto, ONT @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre / On Sale 3/27
August 23 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theater / On Sale 3/26
August 26 – Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center / On Sale 4/2
August 28 – Denver, CO @ Comfort Dental Amphitheater / On Sale 3/27
August  30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion / On Sale 4/3
August 31 – Los Angeles, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater / TBA
September 2 Chula Vista, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre / On Sale 4/2

For additional ticket and tour information, visit www.greenday.com or www.livenation.com.

Alyse Black has done it again…play another amazing show, that is.

This perpetually traveling artist has graced SXSW this year with a single, yet poignant performance in the heart of Austin, Texas. Deciding to play to us scalawags at Treasure Island, she illuminates the dingy room with a stunning grayish cotton dress she found at a thrift store while playing in Seattle, Wa.

“Bomber Girl,” a tune she penned that is quite simply one the prettiest and revealing of her long repertoire, is literally melting from her lips as gazers from outside the bar are lured in. She’s not taking herself too seriously though, she knows her job–keep them engaged–and that she does.

As Miss Black begins to speak, I know what’s coming. I’ve seen it before in other towns with her and it always works. She entices the crowd to sing along to a cover, but won’t say the name, only that the incentive is to just be surprised. The bass player starts rolling in with quite a genuine representation of the original score and the drummer follows suit. As Black’s hands lace the keys, we are all ready to sing EVERY word of “Come Together,” made famous by the Beatles!

It’s a sunny hot day and it gets hotter as she loses herself completely into the conjoining rhythms of bass and drum, only accenting with keys, and of course, we all sang along.
Once she has fully mastered her crowd, which is a regular occurrence when attending an Alyse Black performance, she continues by letting us in with not just the music, but also with stories behind them. She laughingly asks, “Have you ever given so much too someone that you literally lopped off whole pieces of yourself in the process…?” Yes or no, now there is theme music to accompany how we relate to heartache and triumph over it.

Black can be found on the social networks, FaceBook, Twitter and ReverbNation. but with her ability to inspire, it’s even better to find her at the venue she is soon to perform at in your town.

Perhaps you noticed it on a torrent site or you learned the news on MGMT‘s own Web site, but Congratulations has officially leaked.

Considering who MGMT is and what they’re all about (or not about), the band said the following:

“Hey everybody, the album leaked, and we wanted you to be able to hear it from us. We wanted to offer it as a free download but that didn’t make sense to anyone but us.”

So as a compromise, the band is instead streaming Congratulations on its entirety on their Web site. If you like what you hear, then you can pre-order the April 13 release here.

Oh, and for those that are confused by the lack of stand out single material and the oddness that is “Flash Delirium” on your radio, here’s an apology from the band told to Spinner:

“When we first wrote that song, we were laughing so hard. Andrew [VanWyngarden] just reminded me of that — that we thought it was the funniest thing we’d ever heard. And then we got used to it, it started to sound more normal. It’s not a single, but we thought it was a good way to entice people to listen to the whole record. I’m sure there are plenty of people who think it’s completely weird and not what they were expecting. I’m sorry.” -MGMT’s Ben Goldwasser

I got my first taste of Frightened Rabbit last year when one of their songs was featured in NBC’s Chuck, and since then I’ve developed a great affection for their music through their first two albums: Sing the Greys and The Midnight Organ Fight. Their newest effort, A Winter of Mixed Drinks, keeps the aspects that were so great about The Midnight Organ Fight and polishes them up, but with an extra bit of optimism. It may be called A ‘Winter’ of Mixed Drinks, but the album surely is a good way to start off the spring.

Starting off with what I can call one of my favorite Frightened Rabbit songs, “Things,” the band has obviously done something right. A song about leaving behind unnecessary “things,” and metaphorically stripping down to your skivvies, its constant piano chord, underlining acoustic guitar and obvious snare drum gives the song a great sense of moving forward. Almost like a train leaving the home station, “Things” sets the positive vibe for the rest of the album.

From there, the album slows down a bit into the first single, “Swim Until You Can’t See Land,” which employs a chorus in the second half of the song, lots of strings, and hand claps, building the song into a incredibly full and strong ending. Along with being the first single, a short reprise of “Swim Until You Can’t See Land” begins “Man/Bag of Sand,” another of the slower songs later on in the album.

Track three, “The Loneliness and the Scream” is one of my favorites off the album, finishing in a minute-long repetition of “oh-wah-oh-o-ohhh,” again accompanied with hand claps. Those claps ran through the album as an underlying ingredient helping to tie it all together – like lemon zest. It brightens up the dish…er…song. A few of the other standouts on the album are “Nothing of You,” “FootShooter,” and “Living In Colour,” which all are great car tunes. Play these ones with your windows wide open on a sunny day, even if you’re stuck in traffic. That way you can feel better while you’re drowning out all the radios playing Justin Bieber.

Unlike The Midnight Organ Fight, A Winter of Mixed Drinks doesn’t dwell on the miserable side of life. In fact, track number nine is literally called “Not Miserable,” which you could call the most somber of all the songs on the album. But even then, it finishes with an uplifting sound, strings and all. Lead singer/songwriter Scott Hutchison said that the album title referred to the “moments of joy” after especially lonely times during one’s life, the moments that “define the dark period.” That’s exactly how the album felt – acknowledging the sad stuff, but emphasizing the happy stuff.

I don’t know what inspired Frightened Rabbit when they wrote this album, but it could very well have been what the title proclaims. A Winter of Mixed Drinks stays consistent in the theme, but doesn’t lack in any variety. Almost like a few mixed drinks. They may taste different, but they all the get lead to the same thing – feeling a little bit happy.

Track Listing:
1. Things
2. Swim Until You Can’t See Land
3. The Loneliness and the Scream
4. The Wrestle
5. Skip the Youth
6. Nothing Like You
7. Man/Bag of Sand
8. FootShooter
9. Not Miserable
10. Living In Colour
11. Yes, I Would

If you’ve ever read the site on a  repetitively regular basis, you’re probably aware of my unquestionable preference for female fronted bands…This is because, in my humble opinion, women in music have a far more difficult time collecting and sustaining respect in the industry for their musicianship.  They often get pushed to the front for all the wrong reasons (i.e. breasts) instead of their musical credibility. However, in rare occasions women in the industry are the exception not the rule.

Here in Kansas City, we have one of those exceptions.  Lauren Krum, the front woman of The Grisly Hand, might honestly possess the most powerful pipes in the Midwest.  She helps propel her extremely talented band to the level of exposure they deserve.

South By Southwest is that level for sure.  Today at the Canvas Bar, as part of the Midwest Music Takeover, they owned their Austin, Texas debut. With a sound concreted in the “Sun Records” sound, the group brings to Austin something outside of the city’s normal style. Their harmony vocals are as strong as I’ve seen on the national circuit. The same can certainly be said of their instrumentation, which is hard to find in a group as large as Hand. But this six piece never steps on each other. They honestly compliment each other very well.

If you haven’t already jumped on the wagon train for this band, you should. Regardless of what city you’re in they should be on your radar, because if (when) a label like Bloodshot Records gets a hold of them, you might not get near them again. I expect big things.

Set List:
Paris
Black Coffee
Distraction
Cherry Mash
Roll On
Pickin’
Losing You

Diane Birch doesn’t need an extravagant budget, bajillions of special effects, explosions, scantily clad women or any of the other gimmicky over the top stuff you see in most music videos. She is beyond the need for any of those gimmicks.

The talented singer just released a brilliantly beautiful video for her song “Valentino” that centers around a screen and a couch.

Check it out.

Sound checks rarely entice one to listen to the full set. Granted if you came for the band anyway, it’s likely you will know the sound check is a test.

However, when Dreams are for Rookies‘ cellist Steven Garcia is placed directly in front with a stern, but warming look, you just can’t resist your curiosity what sort of sound this band will bring. By the time that lead singer Adam Chiarelli sings barely the notes, you’re hooked. All of a sudden, a sound check becomes a leaf cover to a book, explaining the adventure all are about to embark on. You can tell they care and will pave a way for you to care as well. After sound check however, all bets are off.

This band is no ordinary band. Bass player Adam Goff walks to the stage with a cane much like Hugh Laurie traverses a room: with power and a clear destination.
My server, Ashley Heer, a distinctly unique and happy soul, asks me if I need another, while smiling at the sound check. It seems to ignite her senses.

As the true set begins, music, pure tones and other reliable and familiarly-pleasing sounds fill Beale Street Tavern in Austin, Texas like a dense fog fills a cold morning. It wakes you up and forces you to move with it, but with most foggy mornings, you can’t help but wonder what comes next, so you just go. And it all comes. Technical difficulties, possible amp failure and high frustration. But it doesn’t fade away. Drummer, Raymond Dreamquist continues to fill as they work it out.

Isn’t that what music is anyway, one trying to work it out, or through it? With soothing Americana in the air, Adam sings through it as lead guitarist Tyler Vann Yager acts as scientist and repairman.
Goff looks young, but as he mouths the words to each song, probably not even noticing it, you can see a depth that more than likely comes from a place only music could make apparent. As the set proceeds, so do more and more difficulties, but it seems that some things in life happen as they should. I got to shake Adam Goff’s hand and thank him for doing what he does. They didn’t finish the set, but maybe that wasn’t the purpose of this one, maybe it was to make deeper connections with music and people.

Photo by Joshua Hammond