Pela @ Bottom of the Hill

There are some concerts that highlight a band’s weaknesses, exemplifying that their music requires the tender, adjusting touch of the studio—which is fine. And then there are some shows that truly accentuate a band’s excellence and prowess. Pela’s performance at Bottom of the Hill on Wednesday night was most certainly the latter. They played their songs off of Anytown Graffiti, and a few new tracks, with such vigor and intensity that it was almost as if they were doing crisp punk covers of their own songs. And goddammit it was fun! I got a workout just watching the band members jerk, jump, and rampage around the small stage. Frontman Bill McCarthy (who is apparently originally from Santa Cruz, and injured his hand rockin’ so hard that he fell off stage onto a pint glass before their previously scheduled show in San Francisco) belted the lyrics with such a playful passion and energy that it was hard not to feel a little envious of how much fun the band was having on stage. This band’s live performance is a must see for both fans and the unacquainted.

Also, Pela was prefaced by two very commendable Bay Area acts—San Francisco’s The Love X Nowhere (who sound similar to a psychedelic Muse and/or Keane, with an impressive female drummer, guitarist and lead vocalist) and Oakland’s Audio Out Send (who’s live performance reminds me of an amped up R.E.M. sound, but that’s probably because of the vocal similarities). Anyway, I would definitely pay to see them both play longer sets.

Weezer - Weezer (Red Album) (2008)

This is the kind of album that makes you revisit the band's older albums to reassure yourself that they didn't use to suck this bad. Some of the songs are extended medlies with segments of pop broken up by blandness. At first I thought some of the segments sound like that Ben Folds song "Rockin' The Suburbs", then I realized that they just sounded like bad late 90's rap/alt. rock. Mostly it's just uninteresting. "Troublemaker", "Pork And Beans" and "Dreamin'" are classic Weezer and probably worth checking out. But don't listen to the rest of this album if you used to like Weezer. Just remember them for what they were. It's too late for me. I can't undo my mistake.

The Hold Steady – Stay Positive (2008)

Pour yourself a “double whiskey, coke, no ice;” put Stay Positive on the stereo; crank up the volume… Repeat, as necessary. Obviously, there are many ways to enjoy this album, and enjoy you will, but some ways seem more appropriate than others because above all other heavy-partying, hard-rocking indie rock bands, few sound more fun to “get hammered” with than The Hold Steady. The first track, “Constructive Summer,” quickly brings some serious noise, introduces the band's heavy-partying intentions, and the direction of the album, just as “Stuck Between Stations” did for Boys And Girls In America. “Our songs are sing-along songs,” quips Craig Finn—in his identifiable, not quite singing, not quite yelling manner—over Franz Nicolay’s hammering piano, and he is absolutely right! In no time you’ll be echoing thoughtful sentiments such as: “Magazines and daddy issues / I know you’re pretty pissed / I hope you still let me kiss you,” or “In bar-light she looked alright / in daylight she looked desperate.” You get the point: The Hold Steady = Amazingly awesome (and honest) lyrics. The bulk of the songs tell stories of people who rage hard, abuse (I couldn't think of a stronger word) alcohol & drugs, indulge in petty (and not so petty) criminality—you know, real life issues—but as the title track suggests, even when faced with the ugliness of humanity one must Stay Positive, and that is an outlook I can get behind, just like this album. Despite the pessimistic subject matter, one cannot help to be uplifted by these piano and organ driven (“One For The Cutters” uses a Bach-like harpsichord that sounds lifted from the 1735 Italian Concerto.) addictive, sing-along rockers, and I have nothing but love for every track on this album.

Party hard with: "Constructive Summer," "Sequestered In Memphis," and "Magazines."

Al Green - Lay It Down (2008)

It's amazing how much this album sounds like his 70's albums. His voice shows no sign of age. It's smooth and souful and most importantly it doesn't have that overly processed sound that has plagued his other comebacks. It's the album that fans of Al Green have been waiting for. It's beautiful, sexy, and if you play this album at the right time it might help you get laid. Thank you ?uestlove for making these sessions happen.

The Dandy Warhols - Earth To The Dandy Warhols (2008)

The Dandy Warhols have always had a knack for writing catchy rock 'n roll, however, they also love burying the hooks in 7 minute guitar squall. Fortunately, this albums keeps the overly long and pointless jams to a minimum. "The World And People Together (Come On)" kicks things off with a hip shake ready for the dance floor. The album still grooves and jams, they just contain it this time and keep it movin'. Most of the time I can't tell what the hell they are saying, let alone singing about, but they're having fun and I'm having fun, so who cares. After a few disappointing albums sprinkled with good singles, they finally create a cool album again. Although it doesn't have a knockdown awesome single like "Last High", this might be their best album since 13 Tales from Urban Bohemia. Also check out "Talk Radio" and "Mis Amigos".

The Night Marchers - See You In Magic (2008)

Front-man John Reis (a.k.a. Speedo), formally of Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, The Sultans, and a handful of other relatively similar Southern California based bands, brings his unmistakable, rough, gravely vocals, crashing percussion and aggressive punk, hard rock and rockabilly guitars to his new band The Night Marchers. See You In Magic relies less on the short, high-octane, punk rock tracks of The Sultans, and attempts to rejuvenate the appealing intensity and listenability of the more pop rooted Rocket From The Crypt albums like RFTC and Scream, Dracula, Scream! (minus the horn section). The problem for me, someone who had unbashful album crushes for RFTC and Scream, Dracula, Scream!, is that The Night Marches have a very “been there, done that” sound that simply isn’t quite as good as the aforementioned albums. There are a few fun riffs and choruses, but I think the more successful tracks are the ones that slow it down and use rockabilly and classic rock roots to develop something slightly different. Overwhelmingly though, and unfortunately, the album is a mediocre revisitation to albums that I continue to listen to and love, so it is difficult to really enjoy.

My favorite track is: “Who's Lady R U?,” with “You've Got Nerve” & “Branded” getting honorable mention.

The Child Ballads - Cheekbone Hollows (Pop. 1/2 Life) (US 2008)

I've waited a long time to hear this EP in its entirety. Up until now it's only been available as an over-priced import and the odd blog track. Although the Child Ballads play something that could be called indie folk blues, the snarl and cadence of the vocals still retain Jonathan Fire*Eater's swagger. Musically, the songs shuffle along with rather sparse instrumentation, but the rhythm of Stewart Lupton's lyrics keep them pushing forward. There's an urgency and intensity to his lyrics that I find captivating. "Cheekbone Hollows" is the immediate standout and the catchiest, but “Old Man October” and "Laughter In The Rafters" are also well worth checking out. I hope I don't have to wait 10 years for the next EP.

Santogold - Santogold (2008)

This alternative/garage rock/hip hop diva has been on heavy rotation at the nightclub I work at for the past few days with hits like “Shove It,” “Creator,” and “L.E.S. Artistes.” I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone have three club hits at once, especially with their debut album, and songs that I have yet to get sick of. My old man always says he refuses to drink “light” beer or have sex in canoes, because they are both just too close too water, which is how I usually feel about the trendy, generic dance music that gets played at San Jose’s “hot” downtown night scene. So, when I picked this record up, it was for the few songs I had heard and had liked, expecting the rest of the album to be shit. However, I immediately recognized the song I liked, “Lights Out,” which is featured on those new Budweiser Lime* commercials. This album is both poppy and catchy, as well as creative and/or original in a very pioneering sort of way. I have on no account listened to an artist transition between hip hop dance jams that are as dirty and rugged as a Kragen’s parking lot, to as slow, soulful alternative rock so seamlessly and effortlessly. You could play this at your next house party, or while you are cooking mini English muffin pizzas (which were REALLY good by the way). Some personal favorite tracks of mine, beside the before mentioned, are: “Say Aha,” “You’ll Find a Way,” and “Starstruck.” I would compare her to others, but honestly I can’t, and even if I could, it wouldn’t do her sound justice. So do yourself a favor and make some mini pizzas and pick up the self titled album Santogold.

*Gross. Anyone who buys that shit should be kicked in the nuts while they are in line.

The Mattoid - Glory Holy The EP (2007)

I recently met a French exchange student at a bar in North Beach. I told her of my interests in French soccer, French food, and Serge Gainsbourg (pretty much the extent of my French knowledge). She told me that she wasn’t much into le foot, preferred Italian food, and absolutely loved Serge Gainsbourg. It was our discussion of Gainsbourg that inspired this heavily accented French art student to tell me about The Mattoid, or as she pronounced it: Ma•TOOD (neglecting the “The”). This omission, her mispronunciation and the additional complication of The Mattoid being Finnish and not French, temporarily hampered my ability to track them down, but I did, and was surprised by what I found… mainly because “Ma•TOOD” sounds very little like Gainsbourg. Nevertheless, I wasn’t entirely disappointed.

You know immediately that The Mattoid, made up of Ville Kiviniemi and others, has little interest in camouflaging his absurdly humorous lyrics and style behind conventional sounding music. Instead he manufactures a sound that falls somewhere between lounge, folk, alt. country, & classic rock, all accompanied by Gainsbourg meets Wesley Willis-esque singing. Sounds awesome, right? Well, some of it is. The opening track of the EP, "Hey Dude," is an amusing modification of Jimi Hendrix's infamous "Hey Joe"—where Joe is a Dude, my old lady is an Eskimo Lady, and the gun is actually a whaling harpoon. I would tell you to check out The Mattoid’s 2008 album Glory Holy, but all the best songs are on the 2007 EP. So, if you are interested in very unconventional, playfully-humorous Finnish indie rock, check out these tracks off Glory Holy The EP: "Burn and Rob," “Hey Dude,” “Suicide,” and "Breaking Wind."

Pop Levi - Never Never Love (2008)

Last year, Pop Levi's sugar assaulted glam rock was on heavy rotation on my headphones, so I was excited to see this one come out. He kicks things off with some electric glam boogie on "Wannamama", and again I'm hooked. This one's mellower and has more of a 80's influence than The Return To Form Black Magick Party. It's a little Bowie and a little Bolan, with a fresh twist of Chromeo. The album is full of weird processed vocals, electric hand claps, and sweet dance floor pop. I know it's not for everyone - the lyrics are generally simple and repetitive, some might say dumb - but these songs are meant for good times on glitter accommodating dance floors. Overall, the album is fun, but far from essential. Slip "Semi-Babe" or "Oh God (What Can I Do?)" onto your next party mix.

Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer (2008)

Wolf Parade is back with a solid album of indie rock and some seriously ugly album art. It's what you want in a follow up to an album you loved: a lot of good songs and a couple great songs which remind you why you liked them the last time. It takes a while to get going, but if you hang in there, you get the back to back awesomeness that is "California Dreamer" and "The Grey Estates". The former repurposes the Doors' hypnotic keyboards for a sprawling rocker. My only complaint is that the album never really let's loose. A couple songs almost catch fire, but never really explode. It'll probably be awesome live.

The Slackers @ Stateside

I have to admit, I attended this concert solely on the recommendation of Nightrain, and the only thing I knew about The Slackers was what I read in Nuts' album review and the few songs they have on their MySpace. I was more than pleasantly surprised. The first opener was a forgettable reggae band that sauntered through what seemed like an hour of reggae standards. The songs were probably all originals, but they sounded like your average college reggae band, in it just to say they are in a band. I never caught their name, but they said they were from L.A. After that, Chicago's Deals Gone Bad played an awesome set, with their lead singer producing a soulful sound you would not expect from his bearded, tattooed exterior. Great vocal harmonies with the sax player, and just an all together great performance by the band had everyone in the audience dancing, which was their intent according to the charismatic frontman. Next up, The Slackers took the stage in all their New York skankin glory. The guitarist was sporting the classic black suit, thin black tie and cropped fedora, lookin like he could have modeled for the Op. Ivy logo, and the rest of the band all had unique styles that you'd expect from veteran hipsters. They rocked the house, some highlights included "Every Day Is sunday" and a cool cover of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive". After playin their set, the crowd disappointed with their inability to produce an encore clap, prompting the sax player to come to the stage and ask "You want to hear some more music, or what?" This got a rise from the crowd, and they came out and rocked for another half hour or so. All in all this was an awesome show, well worth the $14 I would normally never shell out to see a band that I hadn't previously listened to, and I can confidently reccomend you check out The Slackers and/or Deals Gone Bad live if you ever get the chance. On a side note, this night began with the random appearance of a couple "robots" with a boom box strapped to the back of one that was tuned to a radio station that somehow kept tuning in and out from reggae music to mexican music. Interesting to say the least.

The Black Angles - Directions To See A Ghost (2008)

I am always a little skeptical of contemporary psychedelic rock bands; however, I am always psyched on bands with female drummers. The Black Angels tackle a genre of music that when in the wrong hands can very easily make for boring, repetitive and forgettable albums, that have a tendency to be noticed only by those who have a retrospective appreciation of music, or a taste for home-cooked hallucinogens. Directions To See A Ghost mixes the trippy LSD laden flavors of Jefferson Airplane's psychedelic folk rock, The Velvet Underground's psychedelic garage rock, and The Doors' psychedelic pop rock (the vocal tones mimic Morrison's at times) into a concoction that is both nostalgic and scintillating. I admit that this album does have the drone and buzz that is typical of the genre—which alone can be enough to turn some people away—and at times wanders deep into the psychedelic woods, but I feel that The Black Angels revert to enough discernible pop-based hooks to be appreciated by even those who normally shy away from psychedelia. This is one of the best neo-psychedelic albums I have heard in quite a while, and the fact that The Black Angels are anchored by a female drummer only makes it that much more awesome.

Enjoyable trip tracks: "You In Color," "You On The Run," & "Deer-Ree-Shee"

Watch this for a sampling of their sound from their first album, Passover:

The Heavy - Great Vengeance and Furious Fire (US 2008)

What if Led Zepplin decided to collaborate on a record with Earth, Wind and Fire, then decided to have the GZA produce a few slumpers for the clubs? Then you would have The Heavy’s Great Vengeance and Furious Fire. Strapping blue notes, screaming low fi, and slutty lyrics, what a sick band! Wow. “Colleen” needs to be played center stage at your local strip club, mortgage payments would be thrown across the room like horse shoes. These boys from Noid, a small town in South West U.K. can even make sipping tea sound dirty, no seriously, they can, and they do. Not only are tracks like “Colleen”, “In the Morning”, and “That Kind of Man” killer party jams, this band has fucking soul. “Set Me Free” should be the theme song for the next Shaft remake. There is not one bad song on the entire album, and I give it about three weeks before one of these songs is on the next Levi’s commercial. Don’t say this very often folks, but if you don’t get this off the iTunes for the five bucks that they are asking right now, you should use that money to buy a bullet and shoot yourself, they are straight dick* man.

*Thanks for the new slang Tater.

Kate Nash - Made of Bricks (2007)

Made of Bricks technically came out in the U.K. in 2007, but didn't hit the States until January this year. I first heard of Kate Nash after reading a comparison to Lilly Allen, and was pleasantly surprised at first listen. I love her voice, her heavy use of piano, and her melody and lyrics that are super catchy. I frequently find myself humming and singing (in my best English accent),"why you bein' a dickhead for/ you're just fucking up situations." Then, I kick myself in horror because I'm vocalizing this sentiment in public (not unlike the time I had to put a serious curb on listening to "Golden Streams" by the Hidden Cameras).

Instead of trashing her ex's like Allen, Nash prefers to stew in the thoughts of her ne'er-do-well boyfriends and her own insecurities. She reminds me of what it was like to be 19 again - dramatic, nonsensical, and sometimes sweet (but not too sweet, one must keep up the ball-busting exterior). Every song in Made of Bricks is like a chapter in Nash's own private diary, all packaged up and set to a pop beat or a thoughtful tune. In "We Move On," her friends attempt to assuage her devastation over a boy by saying, "like whatever/you'll find someone better/his eyes were way too close together." Truer words were never spoken. Love it. Love it. Love it.

Other favorites include "Foundations," "Birds," and "Mouthwash."

Delays - Everything's The Rush (2008)

How do you feel about the La's "There She Goes"? Do you love it? Is it the perfect pop song? Because the Delays have based their sound on that song. Their Brit pop features a soaring angelic falsetto, backed by sweeping strings, with just enough propulsive club beats mixed in (sort of like the Music) to keep the otherwise lush pop moving. I've been lovin' their light and breezy pop ever since "Hey Girl" induced spastic frolicking a couple years ago. Their sound hasn't changed much, but I'm not complaining. Check out "Love Made Visible" and "Touch Down" for a quick taste of bliss.

Lil' Wayne - Da Drought 3 (2007)

Dirty. This album was released last year, but I want to talk about it now. I’m obsessed with Lil' Wayne. I think it’s starting to damage relationships I have with friends, family and co-workers. Example A: In one of my favorite tracks from Da Drought 3, "Put Some Keys On It", he raps, “Baby girl getting straight dick no cuddle”. That shit is funny ok. And as a result I’ve started saying “straight dick” to describe things that totally rule. The other day a co-worker congratulated me on a successful program, and I was thiiisss close to saying “I know, straight dick, right?” So inappropriate. Also, I think my roommate is sick of me talking about how I’m gonna put some keys on him. Apparently not everyone thinks being a drug mule is as cool as I do. If right now you’re thinking, well that sounds awesome – I want to get into Lil Wayne and be hard like Julia! – I highly suggest starting with Da Drought 3. It’s a mixtape, so you’ll recognize a lot of the background beats and it will be a very easy transition for you from purity to straight… ah almost did it again… ahem from pure to dirty. Lil' Wayne absolutely murders it over the Beyonce song (I know I know, but trust me), "Upgrade". “Even deaf bitches say hi to me/ She tell a blind bitch and she say I gotta see”. At this point in the review you’re probably either totally hyped or totally turned off. Or you stopped reading already.

Faves: Upgrade, Put Some Keys On It, I Can’t Feel My Face, and New Cash Money

Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight (2008)

I feel silly even writing this review because everyone and their mother has reviewed this album, loved it, and has probably already told you, the loyal QuickCrit reader, to go buy/listen to the fucking thing. If not, lucky you, because it's “two-cents” time: The Midnight Organ Fight actually IS awesome. There are plenty of charming melodies & strummy (technical term) acoustic guitar bits for the ladies, and fantastically classy, reality-based lyrics, (such as: “Jesus... is just a Spanish boy’s name,” or “You’re the shit and I’m knee deep in it,” and my personal favorite, “I’m drunk, I’m drunk and you’re probably on pills / If we both have the same diseases its irrelevant girl”) and a few rock-out tracks for the gents. So, if you haven’t got the message already, The Midnight Organ Fight is legit and certainly worth tracking down & checking out.

A few to start with: “Keep Yourself Warm,” “Head Rolls Off,” & “Good Arms vs. Bad Arms.”

The Little Ones - Terry Tales & Fallen Gates EP (2008)

I saw these guys open for Voxtrot a while back and have been waiting for them to finally release their album. Instead, they were dropped by their label and released an EP instead. No complaints here. I love indie pop EPs. This one's a short burst of upbeat Carribean steel drum infused pop (at least on the spirited "Boracay" anyway, but the island sentiment if not the instrumentation is in all the songs). I love the way the guitar lines ring out (ping?). It's a sing-along album for people in the mood for summery good times and maybe some fruity drinks. You know who you are.

Royal Bangs – We Breed Champions (2008)

Don’t let the indie rock classification (or my recent “mellow music” reviews) fool you into thinking the Royal Bangs don’t rock something serious… just listen to the track “Brother” and you’ll agree. This is rock and roll (and I like it). We Breed Champions’ loose, lo-fi, garage rock reminds me of bands that get second or third billing for a show, siege the stage with reverberating guitar hooks, frenzied, symbol heavy drumming, and electrifying energy and pretty soon have the previously apathetic bar crowd pressed up against the stage and rockin’ hard. I found these guys through Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney's label Audio Eagle, and as you would expect from this association they are heavy on the rough, catchy, but not one-dimensional, garage rock.

Rock hard to, but not limited to, “Brother,” and reduce the speed (just slightly) with “Broke Calculator” or “New Scissors.”

The Afternoons - Sweet Action (2008)

The Afternoons deliver on their promise of providing Sweet Action, compiling song after song of fun, catchy power pop. They remind me a little of Carl Newman's pre-Pornographer Zumpano, and likely draw on some of the same influences. I'm kind of surprised that this wasn't released on Rainbow Quartz, since it sounds a lot like the bands on that label (The Contrast, The Lackloves, The Gripweeds) and suffers some of the same criticisms, namely while the songs are catchy, after a while they all start to run together. And although they're immediately likable, they don't stick with you. However, "High Summer Lovers" and "Giving Up On You" are a couple standout singles. "The Silver Age" replaces vocals with a cool cartoon sound collage. Fans of power pop and 80's keyboards will find a couple songs for the iPod.