I did another music marathon last week, Thursday through Saturday, in what kind of amounts to a funny playlist inside my musical soul?

My Bloody Valentine @ the Santa Monica Civic
The line before the show was daunting, wrapping around the edges of the parking lot.  Long rows of diffident, smoking  hipsters., lots of Pixies t-shirts,  more boys than girls again.  I had been warned by the brother of a good friend that he had actually read about people losing a significant amount of their hearing after their last MBV show, so we were ready with earplugs only to find out that they were handing them out there in person.  Spectrum came on first – thick, shoegaze-y, relentless stuff.  We had to take a break before the MBV wall of sound experience.  Having a limited discography, we heard all our favorites, “When You Sleep”, “I Only Said”, “Loomer”… but the term “wall of sound” isn’t even specific enough.  “You Made Me Realise” sounded like a nuclear bomb dropping, that low low roar of sound you hear after the mushroom cloud forms.  I covered my earplugged-ears with my hands and even found a tall bloke to stand behind, in the hope that his body would absorb some of the sound waves.  MBV is definitely the most intense band I’ve seen as of late.  I felt breathless and dazed afterward…

Neil Diamond @ the Hollywood Bowl
I was breathless and dazed in a completely different fashion the very next night!  The BF and I originally went to this show for a bit of a laugh…a rather pricey laugh, as the cheapest seats were still in the $45 range (pre-raping-fees).  But once we were riding that last escalator up to the crappiest seats, hearing that so-familiar crooning voice, we knew it was worth it.  One forgets how many Neil Diamond songs were catchy hits, from Cracklin’ Rosie to Forever in Blue Jeans.  All these songs are cheesy and classic and one of the most wonderous sights I’ve seen all year was the entire Hollywood Bowl dancing like goofballs.  And we learned that night that Neil Diamond refers to himself as “Diamond” when he’s talking to himself.  As in, “Diamond?  Why do you do all this travelling and singing and packing and unpacking and travelling and singing and packing and unpacking??”  That’s something he actually said at the show.  He’ s a funny guy actually.  I wish I had brought my mother to this show.  The Bowl was 65% happy middle aged moms that night.

Deerhoof @ the Avalon
Yet another abrupt tone shift!  Deerhoof – weird, poppy, compelling, strange, funny, topped off by some of the most powerful, eccentric jazzy drumming in the indie rock world. And now with a new guitarist (pictured here), at times they sound psychedelic, and sometimes even a little funky.  Not a very big crowd at the Avalon for this strange little fourtet, but Deerhoof fans are devoted and we “get it”.  What other band writes lyrics like this?  “Basket ball Basket ball Basket Dribble Pivot Pivot Pivot Escape Dribble Bunny jump Bunny jump”????  Excellent.  I love bands that confound and anger people.  I love bands that seem to be the exact polar opposite of the Jonas Brothers.

Crystal Antlers & Mika Miko @ the Eagle Rock Music Festival
Eagle Rock Music Festival is one of the few fests I can think of off the top of my head in town that is completely free.  The city shuts down Eagle Rock Blvd. and families, skateboarders, local college kids, and assorted lefties flood the wide street, sampling the bands which range from zydeco to reggae to indie rock.  This year the lineup featured quite a few bands from the scene at the Smell in Downtown LA.  We were a little late to festivities and missed Abe Vigoda, but arrived just in time to see Crystal Antlers (above) thrashing and rocking their little Long Beach hearts out.  Shouty, fuzzy, intense,  and very attention grabbing.  And I love bands with organ peppered in between the clashing guitars and drums. 

I really hauled my ass out of the house for Mika Miko after being advised by West Coast to catch their show.  He had seen them before the critically acclaimed No Age but preferred Mika Miko much more.  Ever since Sleater-Kinney died I have been searching far and wide for a girlcentric band that makes me proud to be a chick – could this be them?  When Mika Miko took to the stage, the pack of young Smell-like kids immediately hopped the security barrier into the photographers’ area and began to mosh.  And then, the moshing and dancing creeped up onto the stage.  Whoever is running the Eagle Rock Music Festival is a bunch of conservative pussies, because that pretty much shut down their show, despite pleading from the audience that everything was just fine and that was “standard business” so to speak.  Mika Miko barely played three songs but I liked every single one of them.  Real thrashing sassy punk rock, no delicacies about it, with little flashes of Kathleen Hanna here and there.  These girls (and a few dudes) are going to take off like crazy, so catch them now when you can down at the Smell where pushing and moshing is not just encouraged, it’s a way of life.

Seek them out: Deerhoof| Crystal Antlers | Mika Miko

9/20/2009 – Beck, Spoon, MGMT @ the Bowl
This certainly was one of the best “bang for my buck” shows of the year. I’m not the hugest MGMT fan but I often enjoy seeing an indie rock darling at an early apex of their career, simply to be able to continue to appreciate and track their trajectory, should they be lucky enough to have one.

Spoon was solid, as usual, still playing the best singles off of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga but presenting no new material. It says something about our continuing political climate that so many people, at least in our section, sang along passionately to “Don’t Make Me a Target”.

Beck started off his show with the crowd pleaser “Loser”, which got everyone singing along once again. The rest of his set enjoyably tripped through the best singles off of recent albums, and despite the sheer amount of hip swivelling and ass shaking I engaged in, I am still disappointed by the level of energy this home grown non pareil. He just seems bored by what he does for a living nowadays, and how can you be bored when you’re playing the Hollywood Bowl for the first time?

IO Echo & Hot Chip @ The Wiltern, 9/21/2008
We arrived in time to catch the last two songs of the IO Echo set. They were very enthusiastic and a little early Rapture-sounding (those fun basslines!) but I couldn’t help but feel the lead singer of the band was doing some serious biting off of the stage antics of VV, the lead singer of the Kills (more on them later).

Hot Chip succeeded in turning the Wiltern into a serious Euro dance party. This is the first time I’ve seen Hot Chip outside of Coachella, so it was great to actually SEE the band, and not just the sweaty back of the hipster in front of me. The performances they’ve put in at those previous Coachellas helped them grow a devoted fan base here in Los Angeles as nearly the entire Wiltern was on their feet for their set. What I find amazing about Hot Chip is the guys in this band don’t even LOOK like they like dancing. Lead singer Alexis Taylor came out in front of all the keyboards (6 keyboards on stage??) and shuffled around a little toward the end of the show. Boys, please note: all the hot girls are at the dancey fun shows. They don’t go to Mogwai.

The Kills, The Raconteurs @ the Greek, 9/22/2008
I love the Kills. I love their edgy, sexy, bluesy, pouty music and during their last two sold-out shows at the El Rey they put on magnetic performances. This time around though, possibly feeling dwarfed by the Raconteurs, they weren’t trying to sell the crowd on their schtick. VV took it easy on her vampy theatrics, Jamie Hince seemed bored and sober. They stuck mostly to songs from their most recent release, Midnight Boom, with a few dips into No Wow. I will catch you guys next time, when you’re the headliner, and not feeling morose about being the opener!

There is one thing I always dislike about a Raconteurs show – the favoritism the crowd shows Jack White. Hey folks, Brendan Benson is also an excellent musician and songwriter! And two guys from the Greenhornes are also in this band! This is a SUPERGROUP. Show some love to everyone! Despite Jack White’s star power, the band tries its hardest to present a united, cohesive front, concentrating on geniune blues-enfused American rock and roll, punctuated by blistering guitar solos (although J. White was showboating a lot more at Coachella 08). Will the Raconteurs stick around? Longer than MGMT? Who knows. Truthfully, my favorite Raconteurs song is one of the quiet ballads, “You Don’t Understand Me”, which unfortunately…maybe…demonstrates that yeah, we are all here to see Jack White do his thang?

And why are beers $12 at the Wiltern and Greek? It’s been an expensive 3 days.

…I don’t know the names of the songs, but I think I know the albums they’re on?  At a Mogwai show, it doesn’t seem to matter – I just get lost in the reflective, quiet passages that gradually build into epic waves of sound, until the song crashes and quietly retreats.  Mogwai is a true force of nature and a top grade example of thinking man’s metal.  I’d stand here talk to you more about this show but I wouldn’t be able to hear you, I HAVE THE RINGING IN MY EARS TODAY!!!
Mr. Beast (on vinyl) | more Mogwai

Ladytron-Runaway (Myspace Exclusive)

Why do people bother with mainstream dance pop when you can listen to THIS instead?

Props to EastCoast, for pointing this out to me, via Brooklyn Vegan.

Contrary to reports that April’s ten years in the making album Third would be their last release, Portishead have revealed they will record another album together.

Guitarist Adrian Utley has also exclusively told 6 Music why the band are not going to be playing in the future.

“We are thinking a new album,” he said. “That’s partly why we’re not touring enormously, because in 1998 we toured for a year and a bit and it just crashed us. None of us wanted to see each other for a while after that.”

Dearest Portishead, I will gladly forgo a tour for the promise of another album.

Radiohead covers Portishead. DO YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME?

Now if Motorhead could cover Portishead…

“The biggest thing coming out of England right now are singers like Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen,” says the 30-year-old MC over the phone from New York, prior to a five-hour photo shoot for the Sonar festival. “I think questioning the status quo for them is doing lines of cocaine in the toilet.”

Bahahahaha – good one, crazy lady!

In other news, does anyone else think it’s annoying that everyone calls Santogold “the new M.I.A.”?  M.I.A. should still be the new M.I.A., and Santogold should be the new Santogold!  People should not be described like they’re a movie pitch (i.e. It’s Jaws on a plane!)  Anyhow.  Go read the rest of her interview.

M.I.A. via Uptown Magazine

more photos here: 1 2 3 4 5

When you see them live, one quickly realizes the Kills aren’t making very complicated music. Guitarist Jaime Hince doesn’t do pyrotechnic guitar solos. He and VV don’t even have a drummer. The Kills are straight up blues-garage rock; the licks are simple and catchy, the beats dangerously dance-worthy. Their sound is just like VV herself – tough, edgy, glamorous. The Kills are a good band to watch and study if you indulge in rock daydreams of adoring fans but you don’t want to spend the next 7 years of your life learning how to properly play an instrument.  As much as I love this band, they really demonstrate that natural charisma and real stage presence can often trump technique and even songwriting – and you just want to watch these two doing what they do, no matter what it is they are performing (which is usually either a stomping blues number or a quiet plaintive ballad). The guy standing next to me at the show was wearing a Black Keys shirt. Now The Black Keys and The Kills together – that would be a totally fitting double-bill. Somebody make this happen!

Uhhhh.  Sonic Youth + Starbucks = kinda hurts my brain

I can’t believe I’ve only posted one other Required Reading entry. I clearly don’t think reading is required. Oh but it is!

Arthur Magazine, to the discerning picker-upper-of-free-publications, is one of the BEST freebie magazines out there. It is less crass and poseury than Vice and covers a lot of the same ground, but in a slightly more erudite fashion (as in, Vice mag has articles about making wine in the toilet like criminals do in prison, this one has articles about making wine out of dandelions!)  It also has a regular, longish column by Sonic Youth-er Thurston Moore and Spin music critic Bryon Coley full of recommendations for zines, really underground music, and other strange curiosities.

I ESPECIALLY want to draw this to your attention because this month’s issue has an interview with Rudy Wurlitzer, the screenwriter of such zen/indie classics as Two Lane Blacktop, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and Walker. They don’t make ‘em or write ‘em like this anymore.

Look for this mag at your closest hipster magnet. Someplace like Amoeba, or Rockaway Records, Cinefamily on Fairfax or just steal it out of someone’s bathroom. It’s in my bathroom? Stay out of my house.

Arthur Mag online (no articles! bah!)