popwreckoning

It’s taken a long time, but the Postelles are finally releasing their album their eponymous debut album this upcoming Tuesday (June 7). The New York good time rock ‘n’ roll band – comprised of lead singer/guitarist Daniel Balk, lead guitarist David Dargahi, bassist John Speyer, and drummer Billy Cadden – are close friends and this is reflected by the musical harmony heard on The Postelles. Does this sound familiar to you? It should. They consider the Beatles a big influence musically, which should come as no surprise when you listen to the record. Major keys to the Fab Four’s success were excellent songwriting skills, equally excellent musicianship, and enough charm and charisma to send millions of hearts a-flutter. The Postelles already have #1 and #2 in the bag. It’s only a matter of time before #3 becomes a reality for them.

Strong songs and strong music is where The Postelles is at. This is an album that will get your toes tapping and put a smile on your face, because this is a band that excels in crafting the pop tune. It should also be noted that this album was produced by Albert Hammond Jr. of the Strokes, so you know there was good work done behind the scenes. If autotune (um, Kanye West) leaves you cold and you’re tired of style over substance (um, Lady Gaga), than this is the album for you. The most “high-tech” gadgets used on here are the maracas on “She She.” I used to think that this genre of rock was just a throwback to the ‘60s, but giving that label is doing a great disservice to the Postelles. It’s not easy in this day and age to write songs like they did back then. There’s so much pressure these days to use fancy thingamabobs in the studio. Why? Because they are there and you can. But when you’ve got songwriting chops and don’t need all that electronic wizardry, why use it?

The Postelles specialize in straight-forward rock ‘n’ roll: guitars and drums paired with lead vocals, augmented by tight harmonies. Seriously, how often do you go to a gig and not see a Macbook or synthesizer hooked up somewhere? The Postelles don’t need them. Take for example the single they released last year, “White Night.” Balk’s voice slinks up and down the notes effortlessly, with Dargahi’s backing vocals in response and in harmony just sound so sweet. If you’re like me and think Please Please Me was one of the Beatles’ best albums, this should be music to your ears.

And “Sleep on the Dance Floor” (watch the video below), the song that immediately follows “White Night,” is even better. This, along with so many others on the album, has a great singalong chorus. The Postelles want to entertain you, but they also want to engage you. Listen to this a couple times and before you know it, you’ll be crooning “fell asleep…on the dance floorrrrr…” along with Balk. Same goes for “Hey Little Sister,” featuring a rare lead vocal from lead guitarist Dargahi; and “Stella,” Balk telling off a girlfriend, finally leaving her, his bandmates shouting with gusto, “Stella, you’re on your own!”

Most of all, I encourage you to listen to The Postelles closely. The bass line in “Can’t Stand Still” can’t be beat. “Hold On” (acoustic, pared down version above) demonstrates the band’s deftness with the ballad; it’s a good break from the other songs of a pretty brisk pace. And by the way, “brisk pace” and “good-time rock ‘n’ roll” do not mean these guys from New York City are lightweights in the topical sense. A fact-based account of a former girlfriend of Balk and Cadden’s, “Boy’s Best Friend” is the realization that the girl you once went out with has now come out as a lesbian. “Whisper Whisper,” echoing Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy’s “When You Go to Bed” more than Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got a Gun,” provides insight into an abusive relationship.

Fifty years ago, the world was infatuated with the Beatles. Now it’s the time the world became infatuated with the Postelles.

The Postelles’ self-titled debut album will be released on July 7 in America on +1 Records. The band will be touring the U.S. and Canada in June and July.

Tracklisting
01. White Night
02. Sleep on the Dance Floor
03. 1, 2, 3 Stop
04. Boy’s Best Friend
05. Can’t Stand Still
06. Hold On
07. Stella
08. Hey Little Sister
09. Whisper Whisper
10. Sound the Alarms
11. Blue Room
12. She She

Tour Dates
Jun 07-08 – Mercury Lounge / New York City
Jun 10 – Kung Fu Necktie / Philadelphia
Jun 11 – Red Palace / Washington, DC
Jun 15-16 – NXNE / Toronto
Jun 17 – Schubas / Chicago
Jun 18 – Summer Soulstice Music Festival / Milwaukee
Jun 20 – Tractor Tavern / Seattle
Jun 23 – Popscene @ Rickshaw Stop / San Francisco
Jun 28 – Echo / Los Angeles
Jul 07 – T.T. the Bear’s / Cambridge, MA

The Postelles: website | myspace | interview with | @ Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel | The Postelles Premiere First Promo Video, “White Night” | The Postelles Announce Fall North American Tour | @ Red Palace

I always feel it’s a privilege to see a band on the last date of a tour. By then, all the bugs have been worked out of a band’s set and they’ve got everything down pat to every last detail, so what you see before you is a culmination of nights and nights of “rehearsal” (if you will) for their final parting bow. A sold-out crowd in Washington greeted Editors, kings of the dark indie rock genre in Britain and the Continent, when they appeared at the 9:30 Club Sunday night, the final date of a 2-week North American tour.

Two New York bands assumed supporting act duties for the night. The first band to play was the unsigned quartet the Dig. When I know little about an opening band, I keep an open mind but also accept the fact that their music might not float my boat. In the Dig’s case, I really liked what I heard and from what I could tell by the applause from people around me, they went over pretty well with the folks that claimed places near the front early. They play pretty much straight forward rock ‘n’ roll, switching off between two lead singers (Emile Mosseri [bassist] and David Baldwin [guitar]). Two of the highlights of their short set were “You’re Already Gone,” a song I can see having radio hit potential, and “Two Sisters in Love.”

I won’t name any names for fear of stoning, but despite the super stardom of some American rock bands here and abroad, I can’t name one that has fully captured my attention in some time. The Dig’s final song, “I Just Want to Talk to You,” is one down and dirty number that sounded like the love child between Aerosmith (raw vocals and guitar riffs) and Led Zeppelin (bluesy, jammy goodness). Wicked. Keep an eye on these guys. Their debut album Electric Toys will drop in America on April 27.

.“You’re Already Gone” by The Dig.

I’ve read some reviewer’ suggestions that Brooklyn trio the Antlers makes music that fits the shoegaze and/or dream pop genres, and I can see why. They released their latest album, Hospice, last year. And as the album title suggests, this is heavy stuff and deals with tough subjects, weightier than your average shoegaze or dream pop band certainly and overall, they’re a bit quirky. I mean, really, what rock band nowadays plays with potted plants attached to their synths? Big Antlers fans were definitely in attendance, cheering appreciatively whenever frontman/guitarist Peter Silberman spoke to the crowd or introduced a number such as “Two,” the song that received the loudest cheers.

Silberman’s voice has an ephemeral quality, which at times sounds perfect against the swirly synths and effects of their keyboardist Darby Cicci and at other times at odds with drummer Michael Lerner‘s pounding beats. Structurally, their songs remind me of those of Cymbals Eat Guitars as they feel like mini-operas, songs that have distinct parts led by either the vocals or synths. Their set ender, “Wake,” implores the listener “don’t let anyone tell you you deserve that.” If you like songs with deep lyrics light on the guitars and heavy on the synths, this is the band for you.

The Antlers Set List:
Kettering
Sylvia
Bear
Two
Wake

It’s been over two2 years since Editors last visited Washington, and having talked to fans down at the front, I was not alone in never having seen the band before. Last year I made a pact with one of my best friends that if I saw Editors (one of her favorite bands) in 2010, she would have to see Friendly Fires (one of my favorite bands). To be honest, I really didn’t need much persuading, with Editors’ latest album In This Light and On This Evening drawing on synths and electronic drum beats to great effect and as a result being a major departure from the band’s previous blockbuster albums 2005′s The Back Room and 2007′s An End Has a Start.

Fans from back in the day as well as newer ones will enjoy their current live set, a fine selection of tracks from all three of the band’s albums. It was cool to watch lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz and bassist Russell Leetch switch effortlessly between their usual axes to play synths when needed on the latest tracks, and it just goes to show that Editors aren’t afraid to try something new.

“You Don’t Know Love,” one of my favorite tracks off the new album, was amazing live, the emotion just oozing out of frontman Tom Smith. I’ve never really cared for his deep voice, but wow, I quickly became mesmerized by the man, crooning into his microphone all night and going from playing guitar, piano, and keyboards. Long-time Editors fans went crazy for tracks “The Racing Rats,” “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors,” and “Munich,” Urbanowicz and Leetch’s guitars and Ed Lay‘s drums driving the songs. “Munich” in particular had the crowd pumping their fists in the air, everyone shouting with Smith on the chorus of “people are fragile things / you should know by now / be careful what you put them through / people are fragile things / you should know by now / you’ll speak when you’re spoken to.”

“Bricks and Mortar” was the surprising highlight of the night for me. Ever since I got the new album, I’ve wondered who played what synths-wise on which songs, but I got my answer Sunday night watching Smith and Urbanowicz furiously tap their synths side by side – totally awesome. They recently played on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and you can watch their performance below.

Editors Set List:
In This Light and On This Evening
Lights
An End Has a Start
You Don’t Know Love
Bullets
The Boxer
The Big Exit
Blood
Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
The Racing Rats
Escape the Nest
Like Treasure
Bones
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
Bricks and Mortar
//
Munich
Papillon
Fingers in the Factories

Editors: website | myspace| In This Light and On This Evening review | Editors Announce February North American Tour Dates
The Dig: myspace
The Antlers: website | myspace | The Antlers to Tour with Editors

As much as I love music, sun and Chicago, it is a very fortunate thing that Lollapalooza is only a weekend long. Next year I am wearing a pedometer just so I can see how much I walked, although I’m not sure why this festival was so much more brutal when I have survived SXSW, Bonnaroo and even Lollapalooza before.

Though it was early in the morning and the final day, a large crowd had already amassed for Sam Roberts Band. Canadian flags with pot leaves in place of the maple were in no shortage as the jam rockers played their songs. While I doubt that I’d go out of my way to buy an album, it was fun to pick up on the choruses and singalong.

Friendly Fires was next on my agenda and I must say that the Brits (oh Los Campesinos, why couldn’t you play every day?) and all the other European bands that crossed the great pond for this fest owned it. Friendly Fires didn’t have that large of a crowd, but they had everybody dancing as they sang “Jump into the Pool” and other tunes. It was difficult to pull away from their set, but I knew my beloved string players in Ra Ra Riot had started their set at the opposite end of the festival.

Usually when watching Ra Ra Riot, I geek out over the strings, but today I finally saw how talented of a performer singer Wes Miles is as he was practically skipping about then even ran out to sing as close to the crowd as he could get from the barricade. Even though lyrically they can be a downer band, I was beaming as I watched his glee at performing at Lollapalooza.

Bat for Lashes tried to mystify with ethereal vocals, creepy angel dolls and shiny spandex.  The only thing I was really mystified by was why she played the piano by just poking it with her pointer fingers. I mean even if that’s all the song needs, the norm is to record the pattern then let it loop. It was just confusing. But she does have a great Bjork voice. I do think their stage show just might fit a little better in a foggy club than the bright outdoors.

I really wanted to see Cage the Elephant after Joshua told me their Bonnaroo made him think they were the next Nirvana. Not only were they late to the stage, but it was just a messy performance. I couldn’t even force myself long enough to hear the radio tune “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”.

Severely disappointed, I went to the Airborne Toxic Event, whom have always impressed me in the past. The sound seemed off and I was in need of some more tunage that wasn’t so nostalgic, so I again band jumped to the Kaiser Chiefs.

I had an interview scheduled far too many blocks away, so I missed the next few acts, which was a bummer because I couldn’t even find the band I was supposed to interview and by this point, all the walking was making me feel like I would never move again (I later learned that my body aches were a bit more severe than I thought and not quite from the walking, but other problems. Eeks!).

The Raveonettes greeted me as I walked back into the fest. Finally, a band that was worth the hype! The vocals were amazingly powerful and I immediately was bummed that I didn’t run to see them in their entirety. Alas! Perhaps in the future, they’ll swing through my neck of the woods.

Preppy indie darlings Vampire Weekend came out in thick shades and brightly colored shorts in contrast to their usual khakis and cardigans. A more appropriate dress choice in the unbearable heat. They started off with a new number, but one I had heard before and as Ezra led the crowd through his little yelps and he rocked up on his toes, there was one clear thought I had about this band: they have the most tone deaf fans ever. The audience tries really hard to singalong with this band. They try really, really, really hard, but they are awful. At least the band is good. I know that it is just as popular to hate on this band as it is to love them. I happen to love them and find them and their tunes absolutely adorable (plus I’m a communications major and let’s be real–who gives a fuck about an oxford comma?).

The next bit of the festival is a bit of a blur as severe dehydration started to set in, my leg problem worsened and Ezra’s brilliant idea to make the crowd dance turned into a mosh pit that caused me to get pushed all the way to the front of what would later be a 200,000 person crowd. Exciting, but scary. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about my new spot by the barricade. On one hand it was exciting. On the other, it was sad because there was no way I could get back through the crowd and see bands on other stages.

I did get to hear Cold War Kids and Silversun Pickups, but I couldn’t really see them. It was hella fun to be stared down by Snoop Dogg‘s guards on stage and be able to see his phenomenal drummer. I have to hand it to Snoop, he really knows how to work up a crowd (especially considering everybody up front seemed to be waiting for the Killers.

I guess I missed out on some excitement at the other end of the venue. Lou Reed went well over his set time, cutting into Band of Horses‘ set. A pissed off crowd apparently yelled “Fuck off, Lou” and “Boo,” but Band of Horses politely started their set and even kept playing after “The Funeral” ended and Jane’s Addiction started.

I doubt that anybody is surprised that I wanted to see the Killers over Jane’s Addiction and reports of crowd sizes between the two headlining stages make it sound like I was not in the minority. It also sounds like from other reports that I picked the better of the two shows. Perry may have started this festival, but it has outgrown him and his gaudy tactics.  A helicopter shined a spotlight on the audience, the band was joined by vaudevillian (cough prostitutes cough) characters and even invited Aerosmith‘s guitarist to join them for “Jane’s Says”. Yes, I am very glad I missed that abuse of music.

The Killers have a big stage show and lights, but at the heart of their performance, they don’t rely on the gimmicks that the night’s other headliner used. Their stage show was more so used to compliment the theme and vibe of the latest album. It enhanced the music instead of detracting. They had their palm trees and lights, and in the heat, it really did feel like the Killers transported all of us from Chicago to their home of Las Vegas.

The band has really grown into their element and while they have headlined countless European festivals, just this past year have they received that same honor in the States. I think this might have been their largest audience on U.S. soil.

As the Killers played, each song got better and bigger than the last. Singer Brandon Flowers seemed especially chatty and happy this night as he told the tale of how he and Dave Keuning first met and wrote “Mr. Brightside” (true story) to a mystical tale of the band’s travels to get to Lollapalooza (slightly exaggerated). Flowers’ extra happiness might be attributed to the fact that his second son was born the week prior to the festival.

Though I’ve seen this band many times before, they still brought out a few surprises like an extra verse addition to “Bling”, a song that was never a single, but has easily become one of their most popular live hits. And while there was no Lou Reed guest spot as many–myself included–speculated, this set still took Lollapalooza out with a a nice “twist with a shout.” Reference to obscure? Get yourself to an iPod or a Killers show asap.

Lollapalooza: Sunday in summary:
Best set of the day: We know I loved the Killers. What a great way to end the fest. I guess I’ll throw Friendly Fires a bone here, too.
Best surprises of the day: Aerosmith members during Jane’s is a surprise, but not a good one (please don’t let them headline 2010 like Perry joked). Band of Horses making up for Lou Reed stealing their set time and playing against Jane’s Addiction is pretty awesome.
Breakthrough of the day: Friendly Fires.
Biggest let downs of the day: Cage the Elephant. Ugh. Lou Reed. And no Lou Reed at the Killers, but my understanding is that again was Lou Reed’s fault and the Killers tried to get him to join them. Oh and that the root of my pain was not all the walking, but was a spider bite that has caused my leg to swell, turn red, give me a fever and is serious enough that I need to go the ER like asap.
Crazy crowd moment: Let’s just say that Snoop Dogg made some people who had just met feel extra close. I feel a bit scandalized.

Lollapalooza: website | schedule | set lists

By now what was about a million years ago at Austin City Limits, Jessica and Joshua got to chat with the entire Austin-based quartet Electric Touch. Jessica was really excited since she’d seen them play in Philadelphia not long before, but in between gushing, there is some great conversation. Check it out:

Jessica McGinley, PopWreckoning: So here we are with Electric Touch. Thank you guys so much for taking the time to chat. I saw you, you’re currently touring with The Fratellis and…
Louis Messina Jr., Electric Touch: The Airborne Toxic Event.
JM: The Airborne Toxic Event. I was at the Philadelphia show.
Shane Lawlor, Electric Touch: Oh! That was a killer night!
JM: It was SOO good! The crowd LOVED you guys! I was having some parking issues so I got there a little late, but I walked in on the cover of “Come Together” and I was blown away.
SL: Oh, nice. Yeah.

JM: So I assumed you were all English, I don’t know why just because of a Beatles song, everyone covers the Beatles. But then I found out the rest of you are local [to Austin]. Have you ever played Austin City Limits before?
LM: This is our first time.
JM: So what’s it like to play such a huge festival that is one of the defining events of your hometown?
LM: We’ve been playing all these major summer festivals, every major summer festival this whole summer and this is the last one and it’s in our hometown. So how much awesomer can it get? Is that, is ‘awesomer’ a word?

JM: It is now. So how is the tour with The Fratellis and The Airborne Toxic Event going?
LM: It’s been amazing. They’re all very, very excellent people as well as great, talented musicians. Just being around them for this long has been a pleasure.
JM: That’s good to hear.
LM: I feel like we’ve made some really good friends.

JM: Any good tour stories?
Christopher Leigh, Electric Touch: One time Tré Cool came up to us. He came and saw us play. His band [Green Day] is the reason I play guitar. So seeing him coming up to us and screaming our name, my jaw was to the floor. He was hanging out with us and he told us everything they were doing. So I got the down low before Rolling Stone. So it was pretty cool.

JM: Yeah, that is pretty cool. So I guess you guys when you’re on tour you get to meet a lot of cool bands like that, huh? You’ve been touring pretty extensively.
SL: It’s great because you have friends in bands and you don’t see them for a long time ’cause everyone’s working away but then they’re at the the festivals. I grew up with the guys in a band called Spiritualized so I just ran into them earlier down the way at the food tent. It was awesome just catchin’ up with old friends.
We met Sean Penn earlier in the year. That was pretty mind blowing. And Steven Tyler.
CL: Aerosmith.
SL: For four lads that just love music, to be in that setting is pretty mind blowing.

JM: Obviously you’re the odd man out with the British accent. How did you end up here in the States?
SL: I came here as a musician about three years ago and toured a lot over here. I just fell in love with Austin, really and the people in the South. I was living in London and I’d had enough of the big city; I wanted to go somewhere new. I did kind of a D.H. Lawrence on Nottingham and left for good.
I just bumped into Christopher in a coffeeshop, we had a mutual friend. I was just hanging out in Austin at the time. We hit it off as buddies and then the guitars came out. We did one demo and we managed to get signed. So dreams do come true. They do.

JM: That’s fantastic, they do! And the live EP was #1 on Amazon for a while.
SL: I thought someone was playing a joke on me. I an email on that and I thought someone had been Photoshopping it. So I had to go on Amazon meself and it was true! Yeah, it was nuts.
LM: Right up there with Coldplay and Beck.
SL: It was our first ever release so it was just…that day was amazing. Yeah, I’ve never experienced anything like that.

JM: The full-length just came out in August. How has the reception for that been?
LM: Amazing! I can’t complain with all the great responses we’ve been getting.
SL: Yeah, we’ve been selling boxes and boxes of ‘em at the shows.
JM: It’s such a great live show, I’m not surprised.
SL: Thank you so much!
JM: Honestly, when I walked in [to the Philly show late], I thought, ‘I wish I’d gotten here for the beginning of the set.’

SL: Oh, well next time! You live in Philadelphia, right?
JM: Yeah.
SL: We’ll be coming back to Philadelphia soon, hopefully. Maybe October or November.
JM: You still have to play today, right? I’ll catch you here! This [the media lounge] is a fun area, but we’re not gonna stay here all day. We’ll be there.
SL: Right!
LM: It’s gonna be a great show.

Joshua Hammond, PopWreckoning: It’s my first time seeing you guys.
SL: It’s a hot one today but we’re gonna give it everything we’ve got.
JH: Yeah it is.
SL: Drink plenty of water.
JM: EVERYone has been giving us that advice. “Drink water! The Texas sun will sneak up on you!”
LM: It will.
SL: It really does. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so take care. Stay hydrated.

JM: So after the festival and finishing the tour with The Fratellis and The Airborne Toxic Event, what are you guys planning for the rest of the year?
CL: Well our album just came out and we’ve got a lot of touring to do to promote this record. We would love to keep recording, and I bet we will, but there are definitely a lot of shows under this Electric Touch belt self-titled.
SL: We’re back here in Texas for a few days and then I think we’re gonna hit the road again. There’s no end in sight, which is great ’cause it’s what we want.
JM: It’s what you guys live for.
CL: Yeah.
SL: Exactly right. That set on stage is just the highlight of our lives really.

JM: For the next tour, if you could just tour with anybody you wanted, any band that’s still together, not together, whatever, who do you think you’d want to share a bill with?
LM: The Beatles.
SL: Yeah, I would. Who wouldn’t? That’s like saying, “I drink water. I like water.”
[all laugh]
JH: They might bring a couple of people to the show, too.
JM: Yeah, I think some people have heard of them.
SL: I bet they would let us play “Come Together”.

JM: Of all the Beatles songs to cover, why did you choose “Come Together”?
SL: The song we do before kind of tips its hat to the Beatles and, so rather than trying to hide that fact, we kind of go into the obvious really and play one of our favorite songs. And it’s something that everybody knows. For a new band that’s playing night after night to a new crowd, it’s sort of important to present them with bands they are familiar with.
JM: Yeah, I remember at the [Philly] show that everybody was just raging for you guys.
SL: Yeah it’s great. They know the words so you can get everybody to sing along and you can get the night started in the right way.
JM: It was such a solid cover. I love cover songs anyway and some just fall flat, but you guys were just so dynamic– oh, not to gush and praise you guys left and right…
SL: Oh, no, that’s fine. That’s fine! [laughs]

JM: Wonderful. It was wonderful. So what are you all listening to right now, or were there anymore bands you guys would want to tour with?
Ross DuBois, Electric Touch: I’ve been jamming the new My Morning Jacket album non-stop. They’re a great band.
JM: I’ve never seen them, but I hear they put on a great show.
RD: They’re so good. They’re a whole different beast live.

JM: What are you guys listening to now?
SL: I’m diggin’ a record by The Last Shadow Puppets.  Fellows from The Arctic Monkeys and Miles [Kane] from The Rascals — I knew him years ago, Miles, when I was back in England. We used to hang out when I was in Liverpool, so it’s great to see him doing so well. We’ve been playing that a lot, haven’t we? We’re good friends with The Arctic Monkeys.
LM: Favourite Worst Nightmare is definitely…
SL: Yeah, it’s a killer record. It’s mind blowing.
CL: Even Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, that’s pretty awesome, too. That’s it, right? I tried Arctic Monkeys.
LM: It’s pretty cool, today we’re playing right before Roky Erikson, who is such a big influence on us. He created the whole psychedelic stamp. They have the whole San Francisco thing but he came from Texas and it’s just very exciting to play right before him. I’ll be hanging out watching him.

JM: You listening to anything special?
RD: Aside from My Morning Jacket?
JM: Oh yeah, you just haven’t talked much.
RD: Well, I listen to James Brown non-stop. That’s not new, but it never gets old. I’m also excited about The Black and White Years, they’re an awesome band.
JM: Yeah, they already played today, didn’t they?
RD: Did they? We’ve been so busy I haven’t checked the schedule.
JM: I think they might be now-ish.
LM: I think it was noon.

JM: Yeah, it was probably earlier today. Good luck at the show today and thanks so much for sitting down to chat. I really appreciate it!
SL: Oh, all our pleasure!

Electric Touch: website | myspace | live | acl ’08

Photos 1 & 3: Brian Davis
Photo 2: Alexandra Valenti