EDWARD SHARPE: THE GOSPEL, THE MESSIAH, AND THE SAVED

Forget how "zany" they come off. Nevermind that the general public thinks their in a cult. Don't worry about the fact that their name has like six words in it. 

You can't let any of that get in the way, because the sophomore release from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes is not to be overlooked.

Steadfast in their vision, the album, Here, comes fully realized: no weak spots just earthy nostalgia and a guiding principle to shine a light. What's not to love about a little warm and fuzzy positivity? Let's put it this way: if their music is the gospel and Edward is the messiah, then Jade's the one being saved (and so are you).

Drawing on the dynamic between man and woman, often going back and forth each verse, there's a sing-song quality to many of these tracks. My advice: turn it up and sing along! But where Jade may have taken a back seat on Up From Below, this time around she's the star. Fast forward to track eight, "Fiya Wata". It's for real on another level. Talk about 1970s power ballad! This song is epic in a Grateful Dead circa Winterland kinda way.

THE SHINS LIVE AT GIBSON AMPHITEATRE LOS ANGELES

The Shins quirky, intellectual brand of pop is infectious. Mercer's melodies are nothing if not catchy, and the music's got a mostly uplifting tone with a sharp kick. No doubt, that voice is some kind of perfect. So it was to many fans delight that their set Tuesday night was chock-full of crowd-pleasers in what felt like rapid fire. The haste was slightly off-putting, but I was left with an appreciation for how many fantastic songs The Shins have written over the years.

Regardless, The Shins have consistently bright, palatable, and neatly packaged songs mostly registering under the 4 minute-mark. So it's with some irony that the pinnacle of the set was also the heaviest song of the night. The title track off their new album, Port of Morrow, really resonated because unlike the other songs performed that evening they jammed on it a bit, played with some distortion, and eased into a so-quiet-you-could-hear-a-pin-drop version of "New Slang". 

It was a truly beautiful moment that made it all worthwhile. And I thought: Is there a responsibility that comes with writing a song like that? I felt there was, but am not sure how else to explain it.

Check out the playlist of their set from that night, if you're a fan you'll enjoy that it's stocked with several favorites.

DREAM & DRIVE

"The word 'dream'—it’s important in music. It’s what keeps you doing it." ~ Hince 

 

"We got over excited by everything back then. Everything. Every night we’d let our heads fly way up into the clouds, dreaming we were super human and that our little band could go anywhere we wanted it to." ~ Hince

Rock n' roll plus photography - what's the downside? A new book, Dream & Drive, tells the story of The Kills last 10 years on the road, as seen seen through the familiar lens of a great friend, Kenneth Cappello.  History in the making, if you will.

As the title suggests, in looking back it became clear there were two factors at work. One, an honest dedication to a less-than-fabulous life on the road, and two, that forging ahead was made easier with their heads lost in the clouds. Let's face it, it takes a lot of stamina and gull to play dives and couch surf for the better part of a decade. Now, Hince seems acutely aware that perhaps the only thing more important than drive was their ability to dream - shut themselves off from the real world and focus on making magic with music.

Side note: I love the meaning the word "dream" takes on in the title of the book. It feels less like 'The Dream' and more like a place one goes, like meditation. In honor of that notion, check out The Kills cover of the classic Fleetwood Mac song.

 

"You remember the reality of some of these shows and then you see the pictures and realize we were playing to about 25 people. Yet somehow this magic would come, this faith that we were going to really do something." ~ Hince

DESAPARECIDOS MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT

Desaparecidos spread their political agenda (in a good way) between songs at FYF fest a few weeks ago. Indeed, their sharp tongue was one of the highlights of the set, and really enhanced the live performance. 

That Conor Oberst sure is an articulate s.o.b. One of the best parts for me, was when he tied the recent shootings, most notably at the opening of Batman, to a culture of fear and the upcoming presidential election.

BLACK METAL

Just in case it's not clear yet, I want to reiterate, these guys rocked so hard it gave new meaning to their song "Holdin' On To Black Metal". Seriously, my neck hurt for two days and I can't rule out head-banging as the cause.

The night was full of so many great "wins", but one particularly fun fact is that the fans are able to curate the set lists by tweeting in requests on the day of the show. They're calling it the Spontaneous Curation Series and there's only one rule: no repeats on consecutive nights.

Since it was a three-night stint at the Wiltern and I was going to the last night, I kept my eye on the set lists as they surfaced each day. After a moment of silence for all my favorites that had already been played, I put in my request. They played almost all of them and I was elated. OK, so maybe ape-shit is more accurate... 

To top it all off, they sent me a personalized thank you note the next day - rad!

MY REQUESTS:

 

  

DONDANTE = EPIC

My Morning Jacket's live shows are a hard rock tour de force. Taken apart from their work divining classics in the studio, live they have a raw energy that is palpable: each song building and building, until the audience cries out with delight. It's a two-plus hour, roller coaster-like thrill ride, complete with spontaneous shrieks, as they ticker up and down (and around and round) the rhythmic hills of their impressive sound-scape. 

With bull-dogged determination, My Morning Jacket relentlessly seek to exceed every expectation. No song is complete without reaching new heights: whereby the listener receives a fresh dose of joy and rapture. Rapture being the key word.

No doubt, the centerpiece of Thursday night's set was a gnarly version of "Dondante" rumored to have hit the 20 minute mark. Wrought with tension, this track has a major pay off in the form of mind-bending vocals and splintering guitar solos; and once there's been adequate destruction, Carl Broemel comes in with a gorgeous sax track to smooth it all out. 

Bravo!

Shortly after reaching cloud nine, via the chaos and ecstasy that is "Dondante", My Morning Jacket continued to surprise and delight by pulling out a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Oh Sweet Nuthin'". 

M83 "COULEURS" LIVE

Taken from Saturdays = Youth, "Couleurs" is a force to be reckoned with, for sure. But nothing beats the live version they played to close their set at FYF fest last Sunday (not to be confused with other live versions floating around). 

This clip from their show at Club Nokia earlier this year is spot-on, down to the triumphant call to the crowd, "Los Angeles!" at the end. Yes, it really was that rad. Let's just say I came to question the meaning of their name: how they may or may not represent my generation (m) and the year I was born (83).

Be sure to listen through to the 2:30-mark when the guitar comes in and really shakes things up! And if you're not sold at that point (it may be hopeless), but certainly stick around for the blazing sax track (4:45). 

The rhythm of this track is on another level. Best. Thing. Ever. 

Let's dance!