Archers of Loaf at Webster Hall (more by Chris Gersbeck)

Archers of Loaf, still reunited, have a handful of dates scheduled in 2012 so far. The seminal 90s band has a pair of West Coast dates: LA and San Francisco (as part of Noise Pop), and two East Coast dates: Bowery Ballroom on April 26th and Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on April 29th that same week (date TBA shortly). Tickets for the NYC shows go on sale at noon on 2/3. The last time that Archers of Loaf played NYC it was over two nights at Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Archers will also be at Primavera fest in Spain in May. More dates will be announced soon, as Merge is getting ready to release more remasters...

On February 21, Merge will re-issue Archers of Loaf's sophomore release Vee Vee on dbl-CD, limited edition mossy-green LP and digital download.

Re-mastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by Magnet Magazine editor Eric Miller, Vee Vee will include sixteen bonus tracks and new cover art re-imagined by graphic artist Jay Ryan. Reissues of All the Nation's Airports and White Trash Heroes will follow later in 2012.

All known tour dates and a couple of videos below...

Continue reading "Archers of Loaf schedule 2 NYC shows, 2 in CA & Primavera"

As promised, Mazzy Star are playing 2012 gigs in support of new material. So far that includes the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, Field Day in the UK, a show at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in the UK, Optimus Alive in Portugal, and now Coachella in the U.S. too! Stay tuned for more dates (I hope).

After a few spread out dates this summer, post rockers The Album Leaf are going on a North American run at the end of September that includes their appearance at ATP NJ. That run includes an NYC show on September 28 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

According to their website, people with Album Leaf tattoos will get free entry to their shows if they email The Album Leaf a picture of their face and the tattoo at least 5 days before the show.

The band also recently released a new track, "Rising Sun," which you can listen to below and download at their website for either a $1, $3, or $5 donation to Japan relief. From The Album Leaf's site:

Japan has always had a special place in my heart. I have been touring in Japan since 2000. I have the fondest memories of the people and beauty of the country. I have always been amazed by the culture and courtesy of the people. We have been treated with the utmost respect from fans to the people we work with. My heart goes out to everyone that has been affected by this disaster.

All proceeds for this song will go to Peace Winds Japan.Peace Winds Japan Peace Winds Japan is a non-governmental organization, based in Japan, dedicated to the support of people in distress throughout the world.

We are also working with Air Traffic Control to re-grant the funds generated by this song to Peace Winds Japan. Air Traffic Control is a non profit organization based in San Francisco, which exists to help musicians play an effective, unique and vital role in the promotion of social justice. www.atctower.net

Continue reading "The Album Leaf tour dates, benefit song, Primavera videos"

Panda Bear at Governor's Island in 2010 (more by Erez Avissar)

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Panda Bear show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Ducktails, who recently signed to Domino opens the show. Panda Bear contributed vocals to "Killin The Vibe", a b-side off Ducktails' Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics, which was released this past January. I wonder if Panda Bear comes on stage with him at MHOW and plays the song. Ducktails also plays Bowery Ballroom with Woods and White Fence on August 13. Tickets are still available for that.

Panda Bear and Ducktails aren't the only Animal Collective and Real Estate related acts playing together this summer. Real Estate's recently announced tour that hits Maxwell's on July 24 is with Paw Tracks artist Dent May.

Ducktails and Animal Collective both recently played Primavera Sound in Spain. Listen to their sets, and others, at WFMU: Ducktails (Day 1) @ Primavera, Animal Collective (Day 2) @ Primavera.

Animal Collective's summer tour dates include a sold out show in Prospect Park with Black Dice who will also play MoMa's 'Warm Up' series at PS1 on August 13 with His Name is Alive (DJ set), oOoOO, Clams Casino, and others.

Still no word on where Zomby is playing.

Continue reading "Ducktails opening for Panda Bear, Primavera sets streaming"

NY MAGAZINE: What was 2010's cultural highlight for you?

Oliver Platt: Panda Bear's "Slow Motion" [B-side to July's 7" single "Tomboy"]. I'm a huge Animal Collective fan, and frankly, if Animal Collective had released something this year, it would be my pick. [2009 EP] Fall Be Kind was one of the highlights of last year. They locate so much soul in electronic music. But I do think that Panda Bear -- Noah Lennox is his real name -- is a freaking musical genius. He sounds like Brian Wilson and he's got this natural gift for harmony. I love Animal Collective, but to me his stuff goes quicker to that place at the back of your neck, where your brain stem starts to buzz. I don't want to sound too druggy here, but it does have that effect. Also, Avey Tare released a solo album this year [Down There] and there was some really amazing stuff on that.

Animal Collective's only upcoming dates are Primavera Sound in Spain in May, and an ATP that they're curating in the UK the same month.

Michael Rother (Neu!) / Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) (crlsblnc)

The wealth and breadth of musical treats on offer at Barcelona's annual Primavera Sound Festival hit home with a suckerpunch on Saturday May 29th at 7pm, when I was forced to choose between live sets by The Clean, Michael Rother's new project "Hallogallo 2010", playing the music of NEU! and Harmonia, and Van Dyke Parks. After much deliberation I chose The Clean. My consolation prize for being forced to reject other such riches came during the walk over. The seaside stage The Clean were playing on was only accessible by first walking past another stage, where Michael Rother and pals Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth, drums) and Aaron Mullan (Tall Firs, bass), were playing what is perhaps the definitive piece of motorik Krautrock, "Hallogallo", by Rother's legendary '70s Düsseldorf duo NEU! I hung around for a few minutes, then headed over to see a few songs by The Clean, one of which ("Tensile") drummer Hamish Kilgour dedicated to Rother. Heading back to the WFMU tent to begin our broadcast day, I stopped to linger in the sweet spot where the sounds of both bands collided, then procrastinated more at the Rother stage again to soak up the melancholy majesty of the Harmonia track "Deluxe (Immer Wieder)".

In an age where "heritage" acts are propped up to play their catalog on-demand for crowds ravenous to devour them in order to chalk up some bogus experience, a cynic might find something crass in the presentation of this music today; a purist might consider Rother's longtime partner, the late Klaus Dinger, irreplaceable. And it's right for a fan to always be on guard against the creep of hired-hands, or an artist's alienation from the art s/he created many years ago. I was prepared for disappointment; I got transcendence. Shelley and Mullan showed a sympathy to the music worthy of the people who created it. The power of this music filling limitless space and spreading outward to the Mediterranean Sea bordered on the religious. Give thanks and praise to Rother, Shelley and Mullan for allowing us to share their set with you. [WFMU]

Hallogallo 2010 will be in NYC for Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival on August 6th. Their other US shows currently include Philly, ATP NY, Columbus, Ohio, and a newly added date at Maxwell's on August 4th, where they perform as performing as "Michael Rother and Freunde." Tickets are on sale.

Videos from Primavera and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Hallogallo (Neu!) played Primavera (audio), add NJ show (tix)"

DOWNLOAD: Black Lips - Before You Judge Me (MP3)

Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl in March (more by Gabi Porter)

The Black Lips are the latest band to put out a song on Adult Swim/Kia's single series. You can grab the track "Before You Judge Me" above. New songs by Washed Out (feat. Caroline Polachek of Chairlift) and Madvillain are up on the site from past weeks, with contributions from High on Fire, Freddie Gibbs and Cults still to come.

Black Lips play a Rocks Off Boat Cruise on August 2nd. Nashville's Natural Child and BK's K-Holes open. Tickets are still on sale.

Dead Meadow, the Giraffes and Deer Tick all recently set sail.

Cults tour with Maps and Atlases & July.

The Black Lips played the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona on May 30th. The crowd stormed the stage. Video below...

Continue reading "new Black Lips MP3, stage invasion video from Primavera"

Please join WFMU for a evening of delicious al fresco entertainment and broadcasting on Memorial Day!

DJ/Rupture, DJ Trent, and the Friends of the High Line team up next Monday, May 31st from 7-10pm to bring you a solar-powered broadcast from The High Line, the most beautiful public space in New York: disused elevated railroad tracks that rise 30 feet above the meatpacking district, transformed into magnificent viewing platforms for the greatest city in the world, Jersey City, and its close cousin Manhattan.

Featuring a live set of interstellar 8-bit crunk by Minusbaby + live stargazing (with telescopes!) by the Amateur Astronomers' Association. And, of course, the best sounds from this and other dimensions from DJ/rupture and Trent.

Join the fun in person - for free! - on the High Line under the Standard Hotel between 12th and 13th Streets (map) - or play along at home on 91.1fm or WFMU.org. Powered by the sun with the help of Solar 1.

Before then, the annual Primavera Sound music festival is going down in Barcelona over the weekend and, like in the past, WFMU is there broadcasting...

We'll be carrying full sets this Friday from Noon to 11pm, and Saturday from 1pm to Midnight, and the lineup resembles a who's who of WFMU Heavy Hitters like Pavement, Sic Alps, Liquid Liquid, Van Dyke Parks, Ganglians, the Slits, Marc Almond, Gary Numan, the Clean, Mission of Burma, the New Pornographers, and more!

Continue reading "WFMU is streaming Primavera Sound performances, broadcasting from the High Line on Memorial Day"

DOWNLOAD: WAVVES - So Bored (MP3)

WAVVES is playing playing BooYa! (thumbs down) (pmceldow)

Pitchfork: Do you feel like you've been depicted unfairly?

Nathan Williams (WAVVES): I watched the video, and all I can talk about is what I've watched from the video because I don't really remember playing. So I can't really defend myself. I'm sure it was a disaster show, but I don't know. I don't really care. In the end, that sort of stuff is out of control. I did what I did, and people kind of love to watch you fall. I feel like that is part of it as well. But in the end, it's not so upsetting as it is crazy to me that it turned into such a huge deal. [In] this day and age where information and video can be transferred so quickly on the internet, people can write about it right away, and it all just happens so fast. People have instant access to it, so there's not escaping it.

Pitchfork: Did you ever consider doing Wavves as something where you just recorded and didn't play live?

NW: In the beginning, that's all it was. And everything happened so fast. Ryan came out to play drums a month before I started touring, or a month before we started touring. And then until the day of Barcelona, we were just touring nonstop. So we practiced for three weeks, me and Ryan, and then we went on tour nonstop, so there was never really any time for me to like transfer the songs from recordings to how they would pan out live. And I still haven't had the chance to do that. It was just kind of: "OK, this is how the songs go. Let's just go play them and have fun." And that's when it was the most fun. It just got kind of... I don't know what it got.

Continue reading "Nathan WAVVES discusses meltdown, releases new video"

The Jesus Lizard @ the primavera festival - May 2009 (Miss Rosa)

"Touch & Go Records is going to reissue the Pure EP and the albums Head, Goat, Liar, and Down on September 22, 2009. These records have been remastered and sound noticeably better than the original releases. All of the albums will include songs from the 7' singles and other rarities as bonus tracks." [David Wm. Sims]

The NYC shows are November 16th and 17th at Irving Plaza. Tickets for the first one go on sale Friday, June 19th, at noon. The second is isn't listed at Live Nation yet. The Jesus Lizard are also playing the 9:30 Club in DC on November 19th. All dates and reissue track lists, below...

Continue reading "The Jesus Lizard - reissues & 2009 tour dates (2 NYC shows!)"

Bat For Lashes @ MHOW in May (absolutelyaudrey)

Anyone with prior reservations about Bat For Lashes' ability to command a stage the size of Primavera's Estrella Damm are fools. That much is clear from opener 'Glass'' first chiming chorus; not only is her delivery spot on but she looks like she's well and truly at home up there, stalking the stage and delivering her ethereal set with the sort of gusto a first album Natasha Khan might have baulked at. She's grown as a performer and a songwriter since then, that much is clear, and whether the slightly more electronic direction of second album Two Suns is one that strikes a chord with you or not, the pop brilliance of a song like 'Daniel' is practically irrefutable. And, let's face it, a set filled with 'Sarah's and 'Prescilla's probably isn't quite what a beer-filled festival crowd is looking for. A canny move, then, and one that our ears are left thankful for this evening. And is that Charlotte Hatherley up there with her? Why, yes. Bonus. [Drowned in Sound]

Continue reading "Bat For Lashes - 2009 Tour Dates (Webster Hall) "

DOWNLOAD: Yo La Tengo - Periodically Double Or Triple (MP3)

We have an old saying at Matador HQ, "the only thing predictable about Yo La Tengo albums is their high level of excellence and crazy amount of musical ground covered". Trouble is, even if you believe we really have an old saying that unwieldly, it doesn't really do justice in this instance. The new Yo La Tengo CD/2XLP/digital album 'Popular Songs" (OLE 856-1,2) could be the bravest musical statement to date in a career full of 'em. Recorded in Hoboken and Nashville in early 2009 with longtime associate Roger Mountenot, 'Popular Songs' finds the trio of Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew at the height of their creative powers, fashioning an epic work that's cooly confident as it is wildly adventurous.

"Our split 7" single is finished and on sale now, alone or as part of a five record subscription series from KIAM Records, featuring collaborations between Jennifer O'Connor and guest artists. We join Jennifer on the A side for "Little Airplane Heart," and we each contribute a song to the flip: "Mostly Air" from our forthcoming album, and "Watching You Go" from Jennifer.

The artists collaborating with Jennifer on the rest of the series are Dump, Jesse Sykes, Mascott, and the Hotel Lights." [Choo Choo La Rouge]

New Yo La Tengo song above. Some clips of YLT playing at last week's Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, below...

Continue reading "Yo La Tengo releasing new album 'Popular Songs' (MP3), Dump (James McNew) playing NYC w/ Choo Choo La Rouge "

Art Brut didn't have a meltdown @ Primavera Sound (scannerfm_flickr)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Les Paul @ Iridium
* Lykke Li @ Highline Ballroom
* Amram & Co. @ Cornelia Street Cafe
* Gabriel Kahane @ Rockwood Music Hall
* Zee Avi, Amy LaVere, papercranes @ Maxwell's
* Art Brut, Demander, The Picture @ Mercury Lounge
* Gomez, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit @ Terminal 5
* Death Vessel, Grant Hart, Kevin Barker @ The Bell House
* Glam Hammer, Invisible Circle, Black Elf Speaks @ Glasslands
* Rock Plaza Central, Josh Reichmann, Bird of Youth, Mean Creek @ Cake Shop

Art Brut kicks off five nights at the Mercury Lounge.

Black Elf Speaks.

Rock Plaza Central play the first of two NYC shows with Josh Reichmann tonight. The second, the Bell House Tuesday, June 2nd, adds Suckers to the bill.

David Amram, who's coming off a weekend of gigs, continues his monthly Amram & Co. series at Cornelia Street Cafe, with son Adam Amram (of The New York Howl) on drums.

Conan O'Brien is back on the air tonight. ,

Video of the Vaselines playing live at Primavera Sound, below...

Major Lazer - "Zumbie" ft. Andy Milonakis - the video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

wavves in sumi and watercolor on bristol (danyellsaysyes)

"But things declined quickly from there, as between songs, Nathan began ineptly mocking the crowd ("Ooooooh, I'm on ecstasy!"), going off at length about his preference for California over Spain, and eventually telling them the festival was "one of the coolest things we've been part of in a while," dripping with sarcasm. Finally, fed up with Nathan's petulant behavior, Ryan ran out from behind his drumkit and poured a full cup of beer over Nathan's head. The act would be met with their most enthusiastic applause of the evening." [Pitchfork]

PRIMAVERA SOUND '09 FESTIVAL
PARC DEL FÒRUM, BARCELONA | DEL 28 AL 30 DE MAIG | DEL 28 AL 30 DE MAYO | FROM 28th TO 30th MAY

Artistes confirmats | Artistas confirmados | Confirmed artists:
A Certain Ratio | A-Trak | Alela Diane | Andrew Bird | Angelo Spencer | Aphex Twin | Ariel Pink | Art Brut | Bat For Lashes | Black Lips | Bloc Party | Bowerbirds | Carsick Cars | Chad VanGaalen | Crystal Antlers | Crystal Stilts | Cuzo | Damien Jurado | Dan Deacon Ensemble | Deerhunter | Dj Mehdi | Ebony Bones | El-P | Extra Life | Extraperlo | Fucked Up | Gang Gang Dance | Ghostface Killah | Girls | Jarvis Cocker | Jason Lytle | Jay Reatard | Joe Crepúsculo y Los Destructores | Joe Henry | John Maus | Karl Blau | Kimya Dawson | Kitty, Daisy and Lewis | Lemonade | Lightning Bolt | Magik Markers | Magnolia Electric Co. | Mahjongg | Marnie Stern | Michael Mayer | Michael Nyman | My Bloody Valentine | Neil Young | Oneida | Phoenix | Plants & Animals | Ponytail | Rosvita | Shearwater | Shellac | Simian Mobile Disco | Skatebård | Sleepy Sun | Sonic Youth | Spectrum | Spiritualized | Squarepusher | Sunn O))) | The Bad Plus | The Bug | The Drones | The Extraordinaires | The Jayhawks | The Jesus Lizard | The Lions Constellation | The Mae Shi | The New Year | The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart | The Secret Society | The Soft Pack | The Tallest Man On Earth | The Vaselines | Throwing Muses | Uffie | Veracruz | Vivian Girls | Wavves | Women | Wooden Shjips | Yo La Tengo | Zombie Zombie | ...

Tickets are on sale (@11 AM) for the Andrew Bird / Calexico show at Radio City Music Hall.

The Jesus Lizard also added another London show around the time they're playing the ATP: Fans Strike Back festival. U.S. shows still TBA.

UPDATE: Thanks to Ivan for pointing out that The Jesus Lizard will be playing the Pitchfork Festival (which takes place in Chicago in July).

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have a bunch of US shows scheduled.

DOWNLOAD: Ponytail - Celebrate The Body Electric (It Came From An Angel) (MP3)

Ponytail @ the Bell House (more by Jonny Leather)

Ponytail, currently touring Europe, will be playing a bunch of shows at SXSW in Austin this year. After that no proper tour has been announced yet, but they do have a scheduled show in Philadelphia in March, one in Spain for the Primavera Sound Festival in May, and an April 25th show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are on sale at noon.

Pitchfork.TV recently recorded Ponytail playing in a Queens Laundromat..

Live entertainment is provided by Baltimore spazz-rockers Ponytail, who rip through characteristically energetic versions of "Late for School" and "7 Souls" (both from Ice Cream Spiritual) while surrounded by spinning dryers. We've seen people behaving like the band's mighty vocalist Molly Siegel in a laundromat before, but they're usually just there to keep warm, and more often than not they wind up being wrestled to the ground and forcibly ejected by New York's finest. That's rock'n'roll for you.

Continue reading "Ponytail played in a Laundromat (video), playing MHOW, SXSW & other places - 2009 Tour Dates"

Wavves @ Less Artists More Condos (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

VICE: You've had a pretty intense amount of coverage on music blogs considering you've only been doing this since February. Do you think they picked up on it so quickly because you are a blogger yourself?

Maybe. The blogging thing just came about because I was working in this music store in San Diego called Music Trader. It was an awful place filled with racist jocks and douchebags and I just couldn't handle the 9 to 5 so I ended up quitting. The sparkle in my day while I was there had been these nice guys who would just come and in and talk rap records with me. Once I quit the job I suddenly had all this time on my hands and wanted to talk rap records but had no one to talk about them with so I started Ghost Ramp. I'd always listened to rap though because as a kid the two things my mum wouldn't let me listen to were West Coast G-funk and alternative guitar music so those were the two things I got heavily into.

Continue reading "Wavves - lots more 2009 Tour Dates (2 NYC shows)"

We knew Throwing Muses would be in town to play one R.E.M. song at Carnegie Hall on March 11th. Now we also know that show is party of a small tour that has the classic-indie rock band also playing more than one song in Philly, Brooklyn, and in their hometown of Boston (well, Cambridge). The Brooklyn show is at Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 12th (one day after Carnegie Hall), and 50 Foot Wave is opening which means this show will be chock full of Krisin Hersh.

Current TM lineup:
Kristin Hersh (vocals/guitar)
Bernard Georges (bass)
David Narcizo (drums)

Throwing Muses will also be playing a set at the Breeders-curated ATP Festival in the UK in May, and at Primavera Sound in Spain that same month. All dates below...

Continue reading "Throwing Muses - 2009 tour dates (MHOW, Primavera Sound)"

photos by Kate Pedatella

details on Simian Mobile Disco's broken gear at the end of the post....

DEVO

The Sonics rolled back the years during their highly anticipated comeback set at Primvera Sound, as old met new at the eclectic festival. The punk pioneers played a hit heavy set on day two of the festival (Friday), wowing the Barcelona audience with classics including 'Strychnine' and 'The Witch'.

Playing a rare festival show as part of their comeback tour, the Seattle band headed up a line up packed with returning legends.

Earlier on, the Bob Mould Band raced through favourites from the singer's former bands, Sugar and Husker Du, including 'Hoover Dam' and 'Hardly Getting Over It'.

Post punk trailblazers Devo received one of the best receptions of the festival so far, with a set as tight as their trademark yellow jumpsuits - which were disgarded towards the end of the show.

Spanish favourites Sebadoh made their return to the Barcelona festival to perform their debut album 'The Freed Man'.

And Portishead played their second set of the festival, following on from Thursday's showstopper, this time in the indoors Auditori. [Virtual Festivals][

Continue reading "more pictures & stuff from Primavera Sound 2008"

Portishead @ Primavera Sound, Barcelona - May 30, 2008

As for the future, Geoff insists that their current tour ends at the Primavera Festival in Spain at the end of May, ruling out any other festivals. "Hopefully [we'll be] back in the studio then," he assures, a slight element of self-doubt slipping through.

"We seem to do everything in a way to make life difficult for ourselves. We could play the festivals this summer and not have to worry about the mortgage for a while. But we're not! It's always the reverse of what we should be doing really. I'm sure our agent is going nuts, and the record company's going, 'but how are you going to sell the record through the summer?' I don't know, we'll do what we always do really: take the difficult route." [Popmatters interviewed Portishead]

Continue reading "Portishead played Primavera, "take the difficult route""

DOWNLOAD: El Guincho - Costa Paraiso (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Atlas Sound - Quarantined (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Atlas Sound - I'll Be Your Mirror (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Atlas Sound - Headphones (Bjork) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: El Guincho - Cover Me (Bjork) (MP3)

Atlas Sound @ Primavera Sound, Barcelona - May 31, 2008

One of the many exciting free shows coming up at the South Street Seaport this summer is the pairing of El Guincho and Bradford Cox's Atlas Sound, but that's not the only show the two diverse artists are playing together. In fact, they both just played the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona this past weekend. They'll meet again at the Pitchfork Festival in July. Then from Pitchfork they make their way to NYC together.

Kate Pedatella sent in the pics from Primavera in this post. A couple more, and all tour dates, below.....

Continue reading "El Guincho & Atlas Sound played Primavera, touring in July"

Did anyone notice a member of Beirut playing a horn with The Citizens Band when they opened for the White Stripes at Irving the other night? I could be wrong.

Zach @ Primavera sound 2007, 9:00 am soundcheck (more about that)

Back in May it kind of leaked out that Grizzly Bear-fan Zach Condon and his band Beirut would be playing three NYC shows in September, but the tour dates I just received only list two September dates - so either plans changed, or they'll announce the third one after the first two sell out. All dates, and new album info, below....

Continue reading "BEIRUT - new album & 2007 Tour Dates"

Today Evan Korte concludes his review of the 2007 Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, Spain. If you're just joining us, why not start with day one and day two? And now, day three....

The Good The Bad & The Queen @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

The Good the Bad and the Queen (or the band with no name): The first few hours of Saturday’s Primavera were uneventful for me. I got there later than I wanted to, and only saw the last song of Ted Leo’s set. I was thoroughly unimpressed by both the Long Blondes and Architecture in Helsinki, and chilled in the back for Patti Smith.

The Good, the Bad and the Queen was the first concert in which I had high expectations. I haven’t heard the album, but I mean come on - with all the talent in that band I’d be an idiot not to check it out. Unfortunately it was a disappointment. A mere two days after the concert, the only thing that stands out in my mind is how badass bassist Paul Simonon looked hopping around in his suit, smoking cigarettes with no hands, and chugging whiskey like it was Kool-Aid. I guess an apt analogy would be seeing the Dream Team in a free throw shooting contest. Damon Albarn’s songs did absolutely nothing for me, and drummer Tony Allen and guitarist Simon Tong were completely under utilized. Everyone else in the crowd seemed to be pretty into it though.

Sonic Youth @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation! I must confess that my overall Sonic Youth expertise is not that great. I had only heard Daydream Nation a couple of times in passing, but I mean everyone loves that album, and it was the first time ever that they performed it from beginning to end. They went on at 11:35 which meant I'd have to miss most of Hot Chip who were going on at 12. I made the right decision - the album rocked live! They mentioned several times that they hadn’t played many of the songs in seventeen years, but I thought they sounded incredible. The band was just so incredibly tight. Thurston Moore and the drummer absolutely blew me away. I forgot how experimental, yet melodic that album is. They're performing the album again at McCarren Park Pool in July, and I would encourage all of you to cough up the 34 dollars or whatever it is and go. You won’t be disappointed. They played a second, shorter set of newer material, but I had to skip that to check out the Buzzcocks.

The Buzzcocks @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

The Buzzcocks: My biggest conflict of the festival was between the Buzzcocks and Grizzly Bear. As much as I love Yellow House, the Buzzcocks are legends. I simply could not miss the opportunity to see them live, even if there are only two original members in the band. This was possibly the best show of the festival. They look like old men now, but who cares? They still know how to rock with the best of them. I was up front eagerly awaiting the first song, and as soon as the first notes were played, a gigantic moshpit erupted all around me. When they came out for the encore, Steve Diggle was clearly wasted. He told all of us to, “Stop watching MTV, it’s killing your minds!” about ten times. It was the last show of their tour, they were thrilled to be there, and the audience was ecstatic to be watching them. At the end of the show, nearly everyone that had been shoving me around like a pin ball, put their arm around me or gave me a high five. What a great time. Highlights included “Orgasm Addict,” “What Do I Get,” “Autonomy,” and “Ever Fallen in Love.”

Editor's Note: While Evan was moshing to the Buzzcocks, Zach from Beirut was busy jumping up and down on stage with Grizzly Bear...

Wilco @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

Wilco: My Primavera experience ended satisfyingly with Wilco, though I was a bit disappointed. The new songs sounded great live, and the band certainly has the best musicians that they’ve ever had. Guitarist Nels Cline plays the pedal steel like a Nashville veteran. Glen Kotche is one of the best drummers around. The band on any given song is able to take a number of noisy, avant-garde detours and still get back to the main melody of the song that they are playing in a heartbeat. I guess my biggest complaints are with the song selections. No “Heavy Metal Drummer,” only a couple of songs off of Summer Teeth, and nothing off of Being There. The set was pretty much an exact replica of the one I saw them play at Lollapalooza last summer. Jeff Tweedy is a masterful songwriter, and Wilco are still one of the best bands around, but you get the feeling that they are slipping into complacency a little bit. And that would be a terrible thing. Still though, there’s nothing wrong with watching adventurous musicians do what they do best. Highlights include “A Shot in the Arm,” “Jesus Etc.” “I’m the Man Who Loves You,” “Via Chicago,” and “Shake it Off.”

Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

Overall, Primavera Sound was an amazing festival. I saw just twelve bands out of the twenty or thirty that I wanted to see. That’s a testament to what a great job the organizers did. They know what the hipsters want to hear. Of course there were flaws (the most glaring one being the sound problems on the ATP stage), but anytime you have this many great bands in one place it’s going to be mostly spectacular. If they keep putting lineups together like this one, I’ll be heading back very soon.

Editor's Note again: Though Evan did catch Daydream Nation, he missed Slint play Spiderland on the first day of the festival. Videos below....

Continue reading "2007 Primavera Sound Festival - day three (Saturday June 2)"

Yesterday we heard about Evan Korte's first day at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona this past weekend. Here is day two....

Band of Horses get a new mic @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

Band of Horses: I wanted to catch Blonde Redhead and Black Mountain earlier in the day, but I had errands to run and couldn’t leave my apartment until about 9. Band of Horses played a pretty rousing set on the ATP stage, despite the fact that they had horrendous sound trouble. At first the band seemed to have a good sense of humor about it. (“Our microphones are shooting at us,” joked the bassist, “we didn’t know they were loaded. I’m surprised they even let us into the country.”) But when the lead singer’s mic stopped working completely on one song, (“Our Swords,” perhaps?) he stopped the song midway, threw the mic to the ground, and got a loud cheer from the audience. The mic was immediately replaced and the band finished their set in good spirits. There were a few highlights, including “The First Song,” “Great Salt Lake,” and “Funeral.” Well done, boys. Their new album comes out in October.

Maximo Park also played acoustic on the MySpace stage (CRED)

Maximo Park: Maximo Park was quite impressive. It’s clear that they are growing more comfortable as a live band. Their sound was tight and on point. Since they only have two albums, they played through almost all of their songs in about an hour and a half. The lead singer was very charming. He thanked the audience about a million times. He also made fun of himself (“Here’s another romantic song,” he said at one point, “I’m a bit of a sop.”) and begged us all to stay for Modest Mouse at midnight on the ATP stage. Both the front man and the keyboardist showed that they were just two indie kids that weren’t afraid to dance. Highlights included “Our Velocity,” “Girls Who Play Guitar,” “Apply Some Pressure,” “Limassol,” and “Going Missing.”

Los Planetas @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

Various Artists (Loa Planetas, notably): The couple of hours spent between Maximo Park and Built to Spill consisted of much stage jumping. I was about eight hundred feet back for the last couple of songs of Modest Mouse’s set. The festival should have booked them on the “Estrella Stage” - “All Tomorrow’s Parties Stage” was definitely too small for them. What I did hear, sounded pretty good, and surprisingly dancey. Then I met up with some friends at Girls Against Boys, and stayed for the first couple songs of Low's set (nice, but too slow for one o’clock in the morning). Next I went with some Spanish friends to see Los Planetas, a band that I had never heard of, but are legends in their native Spain. They blew me away. They’ve been around since the early 90’s and you can tell that they were a part of the shoegaze scene of that time. There was lots of reverb on the guitars, and fuzzy vocals. They're similar to My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and early Verve. I strongly recommend them to anyone who likes shoegaze.

Built to Spill @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

Built to Spill: The 3 am Built to Spill show was my last of the night. They played at the “All Tomorrow’s Parties Stage” and were unfortunately plagued by heavy sound problems. The sound people at the ATP stage had better get their shit together next year. Still, they made the best of it and played a great set. The members of the band may look like cavemen (no offense), but they have been around for almost fifteen years for a reason. They are fantastic musicians who play muscular guitar rock - all around good music that can be enjoyed by anyone. They may not be the most charismatic band in the world (I never heard Doug Marsch say anything beyond “Thanks” and “This is our last song”), but they sure do know how to floor people with their tight jamming. I debated staying around for Diplo who went on the CD Drome techno stage at 5, but my legs weren’t having it.

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Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion. More Primavera photos below....

Continue reading "2007 Primavera Sound Festival - day two (Saturday June 1)"

Evan Korte reports back from Barcelona this past weekend...

My name is Evan. I’m a student at SUNY Purchase, which is a half an hour outside of New York City. I just finished studying abroad in Barcelona. A couple months ago, I booked tickets to the Primavera Festival. The location of the event is stellar. Not only is it in Barcelona, one of Europe’s best cities, but it is at Barcelona’s Forum, quite close to the beach and the ocean. There are two huge stages “Estrella Damm”, and “Rockdelux”), one above average stage(“All Tomorrow’s Parties” or ATP) and a few smaller stages focusing mostly on techno. All three of the main stages are ingeniously designed, with ample room for both standing up front and sitting back on grassy fields, with a beer in hand, watching the performers from the jumbotrons. After the hour or so wait to get my pass, my first concert of Primavera was Smashing Pumpkins.

The Smashing Pumpkins @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

The Smashing Pumpkins: I’m only 21 years old, so the Smashing Pumpkins were a bit before my time. They definitely have some good songs, but to tell you the truth, Billy Corgan’s voice has always gotten on my nerves. Nevertheless, their reunion tour is a pretty huge deal and I had to check them out. The band came out in those crazy alien outfits that you all have probably already seen. The new bassist is gorgeous. I guess Corgan has a thing for hot bassists. From what I could tell the new members played competently, but didn’t blow me away. The band played a pretty balanced set of new and old material, including “1979,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Today,” “Zero” and “Disarm.” They rushed through a couple of songs and definitely seemed to be under-rehearsed at times, but when 80,000 people from around the world are singing along and jumping up and down, it’s hard to be negative. It was a nice start to an amazing festival.

A few days earlier....

The White Stripes @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

The White Stripes: Can we all just bow down to Jack White? Even when he’s giving people black eyes and cursing out radio DJ’s over leaked albums, the man can do no wrong. He is definitely the biggest rock star of my generation, hands down. The White Stripes played an absolutely electrifying set at 1:15. There were a few new songs thrown into the mix (“Icky Thump” was my favorite, since I’ve heard it at least five times and now place it among my favorite White Stripes tracks) but they played mostly older stuff from White Blood Cells and Elephant. Jack was in top form, wailing monstrous solos on his guitar, singing his heart out and talking a bit with the audience. He thanked us for letting them “try out” the new songs. It definitely says something about your stage presence when most of your audience doesn’t understand the lyrics, but they are still going crazy. They ended with “Seven Nation Army,” and the crowd could not have been happier. Highlights include “Black Math,” “Blue Orchid,” “Jolene,” “I Think I Smell a Rat,” “We’re Going to Be Friends” “Icky Thump” and “Seven Nation Army.” I can’t wait for the new album.

DOWNLOAD: Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (Blaze's Nightmarish Remix) (MP3)

Justice @ Primavera Sound 2007 (CRED)

Justice: The White Stripes ended about three quarters of the way through Justice’s set. I didn’t get to hear them spin “D.A.N.C.E.” which is a shame because that is one of my favorite tracks at the moment. But they did play an extended version of that really cool remix of “We Are Your Friends” by Simian. It was impossible to resist dancing.

Girl Talk: His DJ set was definitely one of the highlights of the festival. Not only did he play his insane hip-hop/rock mash ups, he was dancing like a maniac. It’s clear that this man has every intention of making sure that his DJ sets are the most happening parties around. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone there that wasn’t thoroughly enjoying themselves-getting down until their feet were sore. My favorite mash up of his was Biggy’s “Juicy” vocals over Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”. At the end of the set he jumped down from the stage and was passed back and forth by the audience for at least three minutes. It was insanity. The crowd must have dropped him at least twice, and he had a pretty sizeable scratch on his back to prove it. God bless you Greg Gillis. By the time he ended it was about 4:30 and I decided to catch the metro home and rest for the jam packed second day.

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow....