The Raveonettes - "Heart Of Stone" Video

For some reason I never got around to reviewing the Raveonettes' In & Out Of Control last year, which is too bad since I'm a longtime fan of the band and it was a solid album with a couple of great singles. "Heart of Stone" captures them doing what they do best, making fuzzy and hypnotic indie rock. Steam punk fans in particular should appreciate this new video. The remixes by the Dum Dum Girls (mp3) and Amazing Baby (mp3) are pretty cool too.

Phoenix @ Terminal 5 - NYC

A good music friend of mine and uber-fan of Phoenix bought us tickets to make up for some self-proclaimed dickness of late and I happily jumped at the chance to catch them in support of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, one of the better indie releases of 2009 thus far. I especially looked forward to the inevitable argument that ensues over NYC venue Terminal 5 - (I detest it, so do most of my friends, yet he loves it?). Was it worth the risk of getting elbowed in the boobs by the indie-loving frat boys who seem to live there? Oui!

Since we're both perpetually running "10 minutes" late, much to my dismay we missed psych-rock openers Amazing Baby who I'm sure were awesome. On the way, my cabbie informed me that his previous customer was Courtney Love and I was sitting in her seat. Speechless, I tried not to let my fear of possibly contracting chlamydia spoil my evening. Of course he mentioned her generous $20 tip, which I said I'd happily match whenever I, too, marry a former member of Nirvana (Dave Grohl specifically, if he's reading this). Until then, my brokeass was only shelling out 15%. He laughed.

The show. I hate the impersonal nature of T5 and feared it would detract from the Phoenix-ness but their music definitely holds up even if you can't quite see the stage. They were straight-up the business of music and they sounded just as great live as they do on CD. Not better, not worse, just the same smooth, dulcet tones I've come to appreciate. There was a shortage of playful obnoxiousness, stage banter, comments about NYC crowds, or witty anecdotes about touring, but their fans didn't seem to mind. They played most of W.A.P., a bunch of old favorites, and closed with a killer encore that fully satiated the crowd. My friend claimed it was the best show he'd been to all year and watching his enjoyment was enough to spark some of my own. Indie rock enthusiasm is delightful and certainly contagious.

The show's highlight was a bit of a personal triumph over drunken idiot female concert go-ers who attend shows of bands they probably wouldn't even know about if it weren't for their boyfriends. This girl sashays in front of me, blocks the view I spent most of the evening staking out, and acts like it ain't no thing. She then tries to wave her tall boyfriend in unsuccessfully, as he refused to do so due to good manners and instead watched from the side. She then turns around, asks me if I'd mind if they stand right in front of us, while bumping into me and spilling my drink without an apology. After I leaned down to pick up my cup (yes, me), I gave her my signature, non-threatening "do whatever you want, you annoy me" look as she reached for her dude. Clearly irked, my friend then gave her this "You did not just spill my friend's drink and your boyfriend is so not standing in front of us. Are you fucking kidding me?" look that proved to be much more effective. Then, her awesome boyfriend stepped in, apologized for her retardedness and took her away so we could enjoy our highly coveted, unobstructed railing view. Perhaps bringing tall boys to shows who are much more capable of dirty looks is the key to the good live experience? Either way, it was a small step for mankind, but a huge victory for short show go-ers everywhere.

Amazing Baby - "Headdress" Video

It's Friday. Time for some boobies in the woods, right?

Amazing Baby - Headdress - Uncensored from Shangri-La Music on Vimeo.

Awmercy's Summer Short List

Amazing Baby - Rewild (2009). I love catchy psych and this is by far my favorite this year, perfectly balancing the thumps and haze.






Passion Pit & Harlem Shakes @ Wonder Ballroom. I've been to a lot of great concerts this year, but this was a home run line up. I walked in hot on the Harlem Shakes, but was won over by Passion Pit as they wound the crowd up into a sweaty dancing frenzy.




Biking to Shows. Even when I am starting to fade a bit as the evening wears on and the bourbons wear off, zipping down Burnside gets me ready for just about just any show, and pretty much all my favorite venues are just a few pedals away.




Metric - "Waves". No matter how many times I've listened to "Waves", it never fails to make feel like dancing.






Portland Bands. I've never lived in city before that is home to this many great bands: The Builders And The Butchers, Blind Pilot, M. Ward, Loch Lomond, Blitzen Trapper, Hockey, Scotland Barr & The Slow Drags, and The Thermals, to name just a few highlights. And the best part is that there are so many more I haven't even heard yet!

Amazing Baby - Rewild (2009)

Amazing Baby's Rewild has all the elements that I love in an indie psych album: space rock guitars, chugga-chugga drums, abstract chants, dance beats, and layered vocals. The songs perfectly balance the shimmering experimental jams of the Secrete Machines with the all-but-the-kitchen-sink glam pop of MGMT. Best of all, the songs remain tight and catchy. Of course, my immediate favorites were the ones I loved off their free Infinite Fucking Cross EP — "Headdress", "The Narwhal" and "Pump Your Breaks" — but the new additions are just as good. I especially like the astral and glittery "Bayonets", the tambourine bashing and echo laden "Kankra", and the propulsive and slinking guitar riddled "Deerripper". "Roverfrenz" even features clattering beats that recall recent Animal Collective. Somehow they pull it all together and live up the high expectations set by the EP.

Amazing Baby - Infinite Fucking Cross EP (2008)

All four songs on this EP are great and although they all more or less can be described as psychedelic rock, they cover a broad spectrum touching on glam, indie, and garage rock. Like MGMT, the band plays with sound textures, layering guitars, sound effects and choruses, while never loosing sight of the song and hook. "Pump Yr Brakes" rides heavy rough-edged guitar riffs, but the vocals and chorus keep it out of the sludge. "The Narwal" starts with hypnotic rhythmic guitar and drum beat and then introduces wordless backing vocals that recall the recent glam rock of Pop Levi or David Vandervelde. "Supreme Being" is dreamy, with chiming guitars, and chanted/sung vocals. "Head Dress" speeds things up, reminding me of All Night Radio with its low level-distortion shimmering over a beat that gets you nodding with it's ebb and flow. All in all, it is a solid four songs. I can't wait to hear more from them. Oh, and you can get it free on their website. Sweet.