Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)

The fact that I sent a mass email to QuickCritters asking for dibs on this review is a testament to how awesome Phoenix's new album is. Lame album art and title aside, it's pretty much been on repeat and is tied for the #1 release for 2009 (thus far) with Harlem Shakes' Technicolor Health. It seriously is my musical equivalent to puppy dogs, ice cream, and ticker tape parades for everyone!

A couple of fun facts: They're from Versailles, France (lucky bastards), the lead singer is Sofia Coppola's life partner, they have musical affiliations with Air and Daft Punk, and did I mention they're French? Mais oui, ils sont tres chouette!

The album: It's fun, upbeat, relaxing, smooth/easy vocals, there's pretty much a song on here to fit any mood you're in. When I heard their first single "1901" (free download here), I literally couldn't calm down... or sit still. It's so vibrant and danceable, which means it's slightly dangerous for driving music since keeping hold of the 10-2 position is damn near impossible. Or maybe that's just me?

Some shared feedback: "Lizstomania" is, as a trusted music friend described it, the kind of song that makes him want to "jump over a rainbow and swim in the pot of gold on the other side," whereas I feel it'd be the perfect song to be featured in a remake of Duck Tales: The Movie (here's hoping?) during a scene where Uncle Scrooge is happily swimming in his money bin. Then, regarding the Harlem Shakes vs. Phoenix album debate, awmercy said he preferred Harlem Shakes' album on an overall basis since "some of the Phoenix songs are great, others are just okay, although it does seem to hold together as an album." I definitely concur. However, since I think BOTH are great I just can't seem to pick between the two. They played SNL the other week and sounded pretty effin fantastic live, making them #1 on my musical must-see list for the summer.

My favorites: "1901," "Rome," "Lizstomania," "Lasso," and "Fences," but the entire album deserves multiple listens. Not because it's a grower, but because you may get hooked after the first listen. I sure as hell did.

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.

Outside Lands 2010 - Sunday Preview

Day two of a music festival always has its challenges: Fatigue, due to standing for six sets in tight quarters; hangover, due to one to many trips to the microbrew stand; motivation (or lack-there-of), due to the daunting spectacle of dealing with the massive crowds, clingy dirt, nauseous bathrooms and general festival madness for another 10 or so hours. Nevertheless, there are still bands to be seen and fun to be had, so here is QuickCrit's ideal Sunday schedule for this weekend's Outside Lands Festival.

Sunday (Time - Stage):

The Soft Pack (12:45 - Twin Peaks) Originally from San Diego, The Soft Pack combines the influences of surf rock, power pop, punk and garage rock to create a truly Californian blend of indie rock. I have never seen them live, but they have a fun, catchy sound with plenty of hooks, so whether you have heard them or not, they should be good for an early day starter-upper.

The Devil Makes Three (2:10 - Twin Peaks) The Devil Makes Three, out of Santa Cruz, may be good on their albums, but they are even better live. The punked-up old-timey blugrass translates well to the outdoor, up-close-and-personal atmosphere. Additionally, they’re sure to draw plenty of local DM3 loyalists, ensuring an authentically enthusiastic hoedown.

Al Green (4:00 - Lands End) He’s the supreme Al Green and his voice is still silky and smooth. Sure, Edward Sharpe may lead his minions in a new age revival, but Green is an actual preacher and a soul legend. Are you really going to pass that up for a communal sing along?

Chromeo (5:15 - Twin Peaks) Awmercy says: Decisions, decisions. I loved Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and I’m sure they are great live, but when it comes down to it I’d rather get down, and the discerning dancers will be headed over to Chromeo’s stage. No doubt they will bring their funky electronic grind, so grab your shades and let’s get spastic.

Phoenix (5:55 - Lands End) Nightrain says: The Frenchmen have some of biggest and most recognizable hits in the rock arena today and have ascended to a level of star-dome that places them almost exclusively in large, fancy venues with ticket prices to match. This will be an opportunity to see Phoenix without what feels like ridiculous overhead costs and the show should be one to behold as the speedway will be packed for a high-energy, full hour set followed by Kings of Leon. In contrast, Chromeo, although excellent, is not at Phoenix’s level of popularity or demand, and their electro-dance party can be better enjoyed inside... like at The Independent later in the evening.

Kings of Leon (7:20 - Lands End)  This is the band that many people will come specifically to see with the bulk of the other performers simply serving as an added bonus. Coming off a recently abandoned show due to a pigeon poo assault from above, a few months spent writing and recording their new album, and serving as the headliners for major festivals around the globe, these road-hardened southern rock "veterans" should mix some new material in with their sing-a-long classics. A perfect way to bring your festival experience to a close.

Notables you will miss should you adhere to this schedule: The Whigs, Freelance Whales, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, The Levon Helm Band, Tokyo Police Club, Cat Power, Wild Beasts, Amos Lee, The Temper Trap, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Slightly Stoopid, Social Distortion, Empire of the Sun.

QuickCrit Music Survey Results - Top 40 Albums (1-10)

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
“Another one on the top of various lists. I kept hearing it piecemeal and I kept liking what I was hearing. Too bad about their being French.” - WarMachine

“A month and a half plus of starting out my workday with this album spells out album of the year to me.” - ancient indian wizard

“Always had a soft spot for these guys. Really polished pop songwriting. So tuneful!” - Jeremy B.

“One of the best live shows i saw all year as well.” - Max D.

“The kind of music that can instantly change your mood... for the better.” - NightraiN

“This album just makes me happy every time I listen to it.” - ve1cro

“A band that's even better live, Phoenix makes danceable indie that leaves you feeling happy and relaxed. If you're looking for reasons to hate this band, good luck.” - Mona

“Thought they might be ridding on the coat tails of the MGMT scene and was skeptical at all the hype but this band won me over.” - Layne

“OMG, who knew the French made awesome music?!?! Seriously.” - The Crane Wife

2. Passion Pit - Manners
“Holy dancefest. I introduced this to a coworker who hated it at first and then blasted it on the regular. You kinda want to not like it but you totally love it. If it was a Facebook relationship it would be complicated.” - ancient indian wizard

“Manners has been the #1 release of '09 for months now. Nothing can top danceable indie like this that is creative, inventive, flawless and addictive as hell. In the movie of my life, "Moth's Wings" would hopefully play in the trailer.” - Mona

“It's almost come to the point where I have to be embarrassed by this, but when I'm honest with myself, I listened to this album more than any other this year.” - WarMachine

“For all the ‘Chunk of Change’ lovers who turned into haters: WAKE THE F*** UP!” - Lucas C.

“This is just an all around great album.” - The Crane Wife


3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
“It's a hit!” - HotCatato

“A beautiful album by an aptly named band.” - Jeremiah H.

“Took me a while to actually get into this album but it's really unlike anything I’ve ever listened to (and liked). One of those albums that reveals itself more and more with each listen.” - Max D.

“Probably the most accessible Animal Collective album to date, but then again that's not really saying all that much.” - Mona

“5 years ago I hated Animal Collective. This fact illustrates the beauty & joy of music.” - Lucas C.

“What can I add? This will probably end up being tops on the survey, and rightfully so. I'm just glad they finally dumbed down their music enough so that I could get into it.” - WarMachine


4. Metric - Fantasies
“Put this on and watch me dance the pop spaztastic.” - awmercy

“Their songs pass the campfire test. I appreciate that.” - Jeremy B.

“When I first heard this, I asked myself, why would I listen to Metric when I could just pop in the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs? The answer, of course, is because the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs are awesome and this album has earned the comparison.” - WarMachine

“With lyrics like "higher than high, lower than deep" and "hard to be soft , tough to be tender" the female front woman proves she’s one hell of a song writer too. - Layne




5. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
“You can find me stuck in LA traffic singing this song at the top of my lungs.” - HotCatato

“An amazing melodic, at times discordant, audio soundscape. The three ladies singing backup show some mindblowingly innovative acapella chops. Stick with it....it grows on you.” - Tex

“Phew — took me some time to get the hang of this one. Can't say as though I love it, but it's a force, nonetheless, to be reckoned with.” - Jeremiah H.

“While I don't love this entire album as much as some, Stillness is the Move, Cannibal Resource and No Intention are amazing songs.” – WarMachine


6. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
“Playing this album will get you laid. 60% of the time, it works every time.” - Rain

“She calls them ‘Killer Whales’ but I call them ‘Panda Whales.’” - ancient indian wizard

“Perhaps this is my sentimental best album of the year (certainly, the most heavily played, for me). Neko is a beautiful force to be recokened with.” - Jeremiah H.

"I love the way she says 'killer whales'.” - HotCatato

"’People Gotta A Lot Of Nerve’ is a perfect song. One of America’s great unsung heroes does it again. “ - Lucas C.



7. The Builders & The Butchers - Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well
“Urgent and macabre celebrations of our oncoming destruction.” - awmercy

“Kind of creepy, but kind of good.” - Jeremy

“They took a good thing and made it better. Dark, rollicking and unique. Tell your friends.” – NightraiN









8. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
“I really feel they hit their stride with this album. French Navy is bonkers good! I want to get all kissy face like they do in the video for the song. You should too!” - ancient indian wizard

“Love this band, can they ever do any wrong? This album proves they can still inspire ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ when they sing ‘ooh’ and ‘aah.’” - Mona

“This album is great. It was in the CD player in my car for a long time until I almost burnt out on it and had to take a break. Now Fiest's first album is in the CD player. Although both are good, I like My Maudlin Career better.” - The Crane Wife

“Just popped this in recently and I still love it. Holds together so well as an album.” - WarMachine

“Great updated girl group sound.” - Brasilliant


9. Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
“It's the perfect mix of Memphis horns, country grit, and rock n' roll.” - awmercy

“An album with that rare combination of.. well... everything. Oh the horns!” - NightraiN

“Solid outing from one of my favorites -- the horns grew on me.” – Jeremy








10. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young
“Can't really explain why this album pulls at my heart strings, it just does.” - ve1cro

“It's amazing how great the Strokes solo efforts have been.” - Lucas C.

Ancient Indian Wizard's Sweet Sweet Summerjams

Decemberists - Hazards Of Love 4 (The Drowned)
I love this album and have been meaning to do a review of it forevs. The story is pretty standard Decemberist's insanity and I love every second of it. My favorite song? The one about drowning yourself alongside your true love of course. This song makes me teary but so did the Pixar opening short about storks and clouds that played before UP.



Phoenix - Lasso
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is nearly a flawless album to me. "Love Like A Sunset" is kinda long but fuck it I like that song sometimes too. "Lasso" however is 2 minutes and 47 seconds of straight up radness to me. They're french and a french guy won today's stage of the Tour De France. I bet you he was listening to this song the whole time.



Jeremy Enigk - April Storm
I loved his last album and am pretty happy with his current one. For me "April Storm" is totally the crowning jewel on this record.

Enigk described this song to Billboard magazine as being "on a Ryan Adams/"Love Is Hell"-type of kick."

Oh what?!? Jer Bear you know how to make a dude super happy!



Passion Pit - Little Secrets
After hearing so much about these dudes I finally listened to them. I love "Sleepyhead" and "Little Secrets" a super duper lot. the rest of the album is good but nothing else catches me as much as these two tracks. "Little Secrets" wins here due to it's sing song backing vocals and disjointed clusterfuck back beat. Loving it!



Kylie Minogue - Wow
I have a history of loving me some Kylie. I think this song is originally from 2007 but it is now my summer jammy jam. I knew I was done for once she says "your so hot / get me into the shade"... I also like the liberal use of the flanger effect as a nice respite from the autotuner. 2007 is the new 2009!

The Drums - The Drums (2010)

If Phoenix's "Lisztomania" was the soundtrack to a manic dance scene in a long lost John Hughes film, the Drums' "Book of Stories" should play in the part where Anthony Michael Hall quietly reflects in his bedroom. Propelled by a light snare and synthesizers, songs like "Best Friend" and "I'll Never Drop My Sword"perfectly pair upbeat melodies and breezy vocals with melancholy lyrics. As a result, the songs consistently sound somewhere in a muted and liminal space between dancing, reflecting, and yearning. Although it's been used many time before, I like the way "Let's Go Surfing" lifts a few choice lyrics from Little Anthony & the Imperials. Oddly, the album does not have two of my other favorite songs: "Saddest Summer" and "I Felt Stupid".

The Drums play this Sunday with Surfer Blood at the Wonder Ballroom. It's a fantastic pairing, so grab your board shorts and your flip flops and let's pretend it's still summer.

Japandroids - Post-Nothing (2009)

No offense to Canada, but I kinda wish this band was American. They're just so good, Japandroids should have been ours.

When I first read that "Japandroids" was the musical portmanteau compromise for two bandmates who each wanted to name their band something different ("Japanese Scream" and "Pleasure Droids"), I was decidedly curious to give these boys a listen, but my laziness got the best of me. And then today I finally listened... and it's just so fucking good. This album grabbed the #1 spot on my "Albums I Wish I Wish Had Listened To Sooner" list, mainly because of the infectious and energetic garage rock noise I could have been enjoying all this time. Albums like this make me wish part of the "friend" job description included a clause about staging musical interventions for other friends "in need." Why didn't someone insist I drop everything and listen to this record? I now urge you to do the same. But I can't be held responsible should you feel the need to air drum the night away, because you will.

Gotta love the eleventh hour upset that leaves you reeling. Post-Nothing has completely annihilated my Top 10 of 2009 that I thought I'd already finished, knocking Harlem Shakes, Phoenix and Animal Collective out of the top spots they'd already secured for the greater portion of the year. Think exuberant music that is slightly rough around the edges, yet manages to lace in a little sweetness and lots of heart. It's noise pop drenched with distortion that is still melodic as hell and slightly danceable... that is, if spinning around your room with your stereo turned up counts as dancing. Its sheer rock vibe is a fantastic contrast to all the synth-pop, quirky indie rock, and electro-indie that reigned supreme in 2009. Post-Nothing struck a sentimental chord because their fun, uncomplicated songs are reminiscent of the good old days of the late '90s and early '00s when my life consisted of blasting Alkaline Trio and The Get Up Kids in my car on the weekends on the way to seeing assorted punk/emo bands [most likely off the Vagrant/Epitaph/DeSoto/Jade Tree Records rosters] with all the inevitable scenesters.

If ever I had to pick an album from 2009 to blast in my car as I drive off a cliff in one blaze of glory and emerge victoriously from the car crash unscathed, Post-Nothing would be it. And "Wet Hair" would be the perfect song to soundtrack the moment.

The Drums - "I Felt Stupid" Video

Speaking of songs not on the EP, here's the Drums' new video for "I Felt Stupid", which reveals these guys' Phoenix-like love of 80's pop.

Larson's Top 15 Albums from 2017

Tei Shi - Crawl Space         

I saw Tei Shi open for Grimes in 2016. I’m not really one to pay close attention to openers and often attempt to time my entrance to shows around potentially missing openers (I’m an old man). I half watched her set while spending more time surveying what a crowd looks like at a Grimes show (again, I’m an old man). At some point in her set she played what I now know to be “Keep Running” and all of the sudden 100% of my attention was focused on the song. When the album came out I didn’t know what to expect. I hoped to hear “that song that I liked at the show” and maybe other similar stuff. What I heard was an incredibly cohesive album that hopped around genres and emotions while constantly maintaining an incredible level of vulnerability and confidence. Perhaps this album isn’t for everyone, but I do feel that there is something for everyone on this album. And that is one hell of a feat to pull off.

Run The Jewels - RTJ3      

(I do recognize that this album technically came out on Christmas Eve of 2016 but c'mon it’s a 2017 album.) I used to have a Sonic Youth poster in my room that had the band standing around a phone pole with a sign that said “Angry. Very Angry.”. That was me for a lot of 2017. It’s disheartening to see so many mean people allowed airtime. Thank you EL P and Killer Mike for reminding us to be angry, stay gold and make change.

Future Islands - The Far Field    

At my core I’m still a scared little boy in a grown man’s body. I’m not sure how I’ve made it this far and I am bewildered when people are either interested in what I say or god-forbid seek my advice. I’m not going to claim to know what Sam Herring is trying to say lyrically on The Far Field. However, I can say that his lyrics have helped me examine my own feelings and emotions. Also the band just seem like the nicest group of guys ever. I have a very short list of people who are allowed to spend the night at our house. Future Islands are on that list.

Kendrick Lamar - DAMN  

Theres a popular book these days about not giving a fuck. I’ve not read that book (I’m sure it’s great). The concept of reading a book in order to not give a fuck seems a bit odd to me though. I mean you give enough of a fuck to read the book right?     Whatever… that’s neither here nor there. Whenever I need a refresher on wether or not to give a fuck I listen to “Element” and then “Feel". Then I listen to the whole album from the beginning.

Phoenix - Ti Amo   

These guys are so good at writing insane pop songs with incredible precision and depth. I’m not sure that entirely sounds like a compliment but I swear I mean it as one.

Jay Z - 4:44   

Those that know me, know that I am a huge Jay Z fan. Huge! If you don’t know me, you now know this fact.     Super-fan status aside I’m not (always) one to automatically champion whatever my heroes put out. Ryan Adams put and album out this year and while I love it, it is not in my top 10. To those that know me you probably recognize that this was a difficult decision for me. I was a bit skeptical of Jay Z’s 4:44… I believe I put his wife’s album in the number 1 slot on my list last year. A decision that I still 100% back. What does this have to do with Jay? I think I was worried that perhaps I was no longer interested in what Jay Z had to say or perhaps I was concerned about a clunky response to Lemonade. Both thoughts gave me anxiety… am I a fake? A snob? I dunno probably a little column A and B.     I’m not going to be able to expand upon what I love about this album without aping another far more sophisticated music critic. What I can say, 4:44 is the Jay-Z album I wanted in 2017.

Heat - Overnight     

Oddly familiar while 100% original. There’s a deep pool of influence on this album but it’s never heavy handed. These guys shred.

The Drums - Abysmall Thoughts           

"Blood Under My Belt" can incite an indie dance party (think David Byrne) in my house in 3 seconds flat. My sons are intrigued/confused by the visuals. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Dent May - Across The Multiverse         

Pet Sounds, Soft Rock, Synths, Introspection… this is a very layered album while remaining very airy. Thank you Bandcamp for randomly inviting me to listen to this album. It’s on rotation constantly.

Sheer Mag - Need To Feel Your Love

This was an eagerly awaited album for me. While I loved the really gritty sound on their early 7”s, it was nice to hear the production a bit cleaner on this full length. 70’s rock but with punk influence and an actual conscience. Or in other words, 70s rock but better… way better.

Ryan Adams - Prisioner   

Love this dude. Amazing live show!!

Alvvays - Antisocialites    

Watch their Overrated / Underrated Pitchfork thing. It rules.

Gingerlys - Gingerlys        

Another random Bandcamp find... so good!

Shout Out Louds - Ease My Mind 

These Swedes still got it!

Ashley's Summer Short List

Since some of us are slacking on our lists (including me), my friend Ashley stepped up with one of her own:

Sleigh Bells - Treats: NPR’s Bob Boilen posed a question recently about the value of opening tracks and referenced both “Rocks Off” by the Rolling Stones and “Tell ‘em” by Sleigh Bells, which lead me to listen to Treats. I can’t stop. “Rill Rill” would be wearing thinnest if this were a cassette.



Tiny Desk Concerts: A friend of mine actually worked in the DC office for a while, and sat a few feet away from the space in which these are filmed. If only awesome musicians would stop by my desk and play acoustic concerts every now and then. I think my desk-envy was at its height when Phoenix played in May. Related tangent: I’m pretty excited to see the new Sofia Coppola film, Somewhere (and hear the soundtrack).

Thao Nguyen and Mirah with The Most of All @ Music Hall of Williamsburg: Thao Nguyen continues to be tops with me. We saw her play at the Knitting Factory when her first album came out, and at the larger Bowery Ballroom when she toured for her last—both with The Get Down Stay Down. This past month, she came to Williamsburg and performed with Mirah—a new collaboration. As ever, Thao’s energy is infectious and it would be hard not to dance along.

She & Him - Volume 2: I would have liked to have included the parenthetical “(show at Governor’s Island, Fourth of July),” but we decided not to brave the 2-hour line for the ferry. Full sun, 90 degrees, fireworks, yada yada. The album alone still makes a list for favorite things in the past six months. A girl crush on Zooey didn’t bias me. (Did it?)


Andrew Bird: Not new, but I’m still pretty in love with Noble Beast, especially “Masterswarm.” I’ve been returning to “Fake Palindromes” lately to get me started on my walk to work. Another missed concert opportunity to mourn: he’s creating a “Sonic Arboretum” at the Guggenheim in August and we’re out of town.

Phoenix - "Lisztomania" Video

This makes perfect sense.

Serena's Top 8 Albums from 2017

Kendrick Lamar - DAMN      

Run the Jewels-RTJ3  

Tei Shi - Crawl Space 

Jay Z-4:44      

Future Islands-The Far Field 

Ryan Adams - Prisoner         

Tegan and Sara Present: The Con X Covers

           

Phoenix - Ti Amo       

2009 Lonely H Interview

Here's another interview from the vaults, originally posted on the now defunct Popwreckoning in 2009. Although not a local band, certainly a regional one, originally calling Port Angeles, Washington home. 

I like their self identified genre: denim rock.

*****

If you grew up listening to classic rock and wishing you were born a decade or three earlier, you should head on down to the bar when the Lonely H roll through. They're on a massive tour and there's a 50-50 chance they are coming to your town, if they already haven't been there already. They may be young, but they're earning their stripes by logging some serious miles in the van and playing almost every night.

Eric Whitman, the Lonely H's lead guitarist, probably described their music best when he took a couple minutes between towns answer a few questions via email: it's as if "The Byrds, The Band, and Mott the Hoople all got in a station wagon and blew the fucker to pieces. We are the wreckage."

I'm partial the gritty Faces-channeling vocals on "Phoenix" and "Right Down To Me", but really you can't go wrong if you stick their new album, Concrete Class, in your car stereo and turn it up loud. And if do catch their show, consider buying them a shot. Judging from Whitman's road stories, it sounds like they could use it.

Quickcrit: How's the tour going?

Eric Whitman: It's been great so far. Nobody has contracted any diseases or broken any bones which is always a good. Then again we're only about a month into it. There's still another month and a half of mayhem to come. The Minneapolis show was amazing as was the New Orleans show, but other than that they've been moderate to good.

QC: Which songs are getting the best response?

EW: It really depends night to night though – on some nights the people dig the rockers, i.e. "Cold Blues" or "Other Side of the Water." And then other nights they go for shit like the "Girl from Jersey" or "White Horse Tears."

QC: Have you accumulated any crazy road stories?

EW: Oh God, there's been some real benders. One night I got shitfaced and tried to bareback a pony outside a barn North Dakota. We ended up sleeping in the barn. Just a few nights ago in Charleston, South Carolina, Caleb (from Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets, who we're touring with now) and I cleaned the bathrooms at the bar for some extra booze. They gave us windex and some rubber gloves. As for food, we've just been eating at Cracker Barrels, all of which are amazing.

QC: What albums are on heavy rotation in your van this tour?

EW:Yeah, that would be a little moronic to listen to your own album 24/7, but we do enjoy it. We go in cycles in the van, occasionally we'll listen to the absolute shittiest music possible – screamcore, modern country ballads, you know what I mean. But that makes good music even better, so then we'll move onto stuff like Gram Parsons, Tom Petty, or The Eagles. We listen to a lot of old country too -- Waylon and Willie, George Jones, good driving tunes.

QC: Are there any artists that have had a greater influence on your music?

EW: Limp Bizkit, and anything Fred Durst. Kidding, obviously we love our classic rock, as for this album, we definitely channeled The Faces "A Nod is as Good as Wink to a Blind Horse," The Eagles, The Band, and Bob Seger. We like to call it Denim Rock, and we copyrighted that, so don't steal it.

QC: I read that Concrete Class was recorded on analog. What appealed to you about that recording process?

EW: Yes all analog. Not a single computer was used in the process of making the album, until we transferred it to CD. I'd say it's the same as any recording process, but you just have to perform better because you can't punch in and and digitally chop your songs to pieces. In the end it sounds more human and warm. Au naturale, bitch.

QC: This album sounds like a couple steps forward from your last album, Hair. Were you trying for anything in particular?

EW: This album is more cohesive as a whole. With "Hair" we just wrote the songs and recorded them, not really considering the album as a single entity but rather each single song as its own entity. We moved more towards country and blues, rather than straight rock. There's so many bands out there that think they can be Zeppelin, but there's no way that can happen.

QC: Which comes first when you are writing: the lyrics, a riff, a melody, or something else?

EW: It depends. Say I'll write the guitar part and then naturally it will progress with lyrics, drums, accordion, mandolin, harmonica (if applicable), bass, backing vocals. Whatever we want to put in the song. When recording, we just add more and more shit until we ruin the song.

QC: Finally, I'm always on the lookout for new rock and roll. Are there any bands you've played with, either on the road or here in the Northwest, that your fans would love?

EW: Oh definitely, our friends the Raggedy Anns and Doctor Doctor from Seattle are great. We toured with Dirty Sweet out of San Diego. The Parlor Mob out of Jersey is fucking incredible. We're touring with Caleb Caudle and The Bayonets; they rip ass. And they're nice people. We love the Wildbirds from Wisconsin. Oh, and Fred Durst.

Mona's Summer Short List(lessness)

5) Danceable Hip Hop Songs and Summer Jammy Jams
I always inexplicably get more into hip hop in the summer and love the remixes of these already awesome tracks: Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" and Kid Cudi's "Day 'N' Nite." Unbelievably great danceable hotness that makes me car-dance with myself whenever they come on (looks more embarrassing than it sounds). But my summer anthem is Jamie Foxx's (feat. T-Pain) - "Blame It," especially that infectious chorus I know by heart. Not only does this track provide the impure thoughts, but it actually makes me wanna put them into action.. with or without the Goose ("gotcha feelin' loose"), the 'Tron ("gotcha in the zone"), or the Henny ("gotcha feelin' dizzy"). It's all good, just "blame it on the ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-alcohol."


4) Rediscovering Rogue Wave
Ever the huge fan, I've recently fallen back in love with their sonic beauty- namely, Descended Like Vultures and Asleep At Heaven's Gate. Tender, gorgeous, lush, melodic, layered, can't even begin to describe their arrangements. I've been known to fall asleep to "Missed" and actually lounged on my couch all pensive and shit last weekend listening to "Eyes" on loop (I do this quite often to their records, in general). Enjoy this favs. sampler: older (1, 2, 3, 4), newer (1, 2, 3, 4).


3) Going To Shows I Actually Care About vs. Being A Show-whore
I've been too tired for shows for shows-sake and these days only hit up "must-sees" or else I'll get in a fight with myself and brood for days type-shows. Stellar nights that have made my half-year: Phoenix, Harlem Shakes record release party, Duncan Sheik, Blind Pilot, and the GUK reunion show. All uber-worth it and kept me in a good mood for at least two weeks afterwards.


2) [Indie] Rock In Advertisements...?
TV-watching feels like less of a waste with all the goodass music in commercials of late. I don't even hit the mute button anymore just in case I may hear The Dodos hawk Miller Chill, The Moody Blues add to the wondrous nature of this Visa ad, Matt and Kim invite me out 'til "Daylight," Mazzy Star makes me rethink my cellular service (effin love this song!), The Submarines sell their souls to Apple, and/or watch Her Space Holiday soundtrack this confusing one.



1) Meeting Musical Peoples
Surreality mixed with WTF, with a dash of "I must call everyone I know/someone who'd care!?" I've discussed Dan Auerbach with Matt Pinfield as he exited his cab, jumped into another and learned my driver had just dropped off Courtney Love as I sat in her warm seat (do I have an STD now?), got snubbed by Kimya Dawson, asked Michael Stipe the meaning of "Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite," discussed alternate endings to Once with Glan Hansard, stared at Ingrid Michaelson's incredible rack while jokingly trying to hook her up with Rhett Miller (within earshot), asked Hootie himself where the Blowfish were, laughed with Guster about their pot-smoking "star-fucker moment" with Willie Nelson, and unwittingly asked Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel if "the lasagna is vegetarian," only to realize 5 seconds later when he walked away that I'm an idiot who just asked Jeff Mangum from Neutral Milk Hotel if the lasagna was vegetarian. Yeah, that last one was very Baby "I, uhh, carried a watermelon" from Dirty Dancing.