Switching to Tumblr

Hey folks,

I decided to switch my blog over to a tumblr blog.  I'm hoping that I can more easily find other really good music blogs and possibly this move will encourage me to start blogging more often on bands.  So please go to my new blog's link which can be found HERE.

I'm probably going to keep this blog up for the music venue links on the side and also keep updating the calendar.

Set List for Queery Music Show 11/03

Thanks for stopping by.  If you caught my show on WORT, let me know of some other music or bands you would like to hear on upcoming WORT music shows.

The background music you heard throughout the show was GOBBLE GOBBLE

Here are the other songs/bands that I played throughout the show.

1.  Throwing Shade - Abe Vigoda
2. Hey Rocky - Hunx and his Punx
3. Deformative - Black Eyes
4. Hello from Eau Claire - Xiu Xiu
5. The Power of Love - Final Fantasy/Owen Pallett

Pearl and the Beard

November 15

Frequency or Project Lodge



With Project Lodge being on the cover of the Isthmus last week, I'm guessing that it will be sticking around for another year.  This is great news for Madison, because they definitely are hitting a musical niche that isn't always fulfilled in other music venues.  Bands aren't expected to bring in close to 200 people to play the space.  Actually, if they bring over 30 people, it can get a bit crowded.  So with the ambiguity surrounding bands booked for November, I don't know quite where this band will play.  I saw a sign at the Frequency, so I'm going to shoot that this is where the band will play.

I have to admit that I only know a few songs from Pearl and the Beard, "Oh, Death!" being one of them.  But this song is definitely one of those songs that once you listen to it, you want to seek out more music from them.  And it isn't a fluke song.  There is a great deal of passion in their music and their voices are mesmerizing.

Pearl and The Beard is composed of 3 individuals, Jocelyn Mackenzie, Emily Hope Price, and Jeremy Styles, one cello, one glockenspiel and one accordian.  Their music reminds me of a touch of the old country/mountain music sound mix with some early soul music.  Extremely powerful vocals that carry each song and a minimum amount of music.   

God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson (listen to the full album)

A Hundred in the Hand

Wednesday, October 13 Turner Ballroom

It's been awhile since I wrote last.  Sorry about that.  I was going to try to update this blog daily, then it went to weekly, and then during the summer it dropped to monthly.  Well even though it's beautiful out now, I'm going to make an effort to get back into my daily or at least weekly routine of providing information of great bands coming to our area.  So if you are still with me, I hope you continue to.  If not, then I'm fine with writing to myself. 

   

     A Hundred in the Hand is a band from lovely New York, New York, which doesn't surprise me much.  They have incorporated a great duo balance that I love from other bands in that area, such as Sleigh Bells.  It's amazing to see how after one band is created using heavier music created by a male performer and beautiful vocals provided by a female performer, that other bands try to mimic that.  But unlike the heavy riffs that sleigh bells uses for their musical backing, A Hundred in the Hand uses a more funk/Disco sound.  The effect is equally enjoyable where as the latter made me want to mosh, the previous one makes me want to shakey shake it. 

They are the opening act for Temper Trap at Turner Hall, and I'm really excited to go see this show. 

The Hundred in the Hands

Pigeons (video)

Tom Tom

Stornoway

Saturday, November 27

Turner Hall, Milwaukee

Seen as one of the next greatest up and coming bands according to BBC, Stornoway is another British band composed of some adorable guys who sing very endearing songs.  This is a great chance to see this band and for the low low cost of $10, it's ridiculous to pass them up. If you could picture British folk, this would be it.   Their debut album Beachcomber's Windowsill is out and a must get.  

Watching Birds

Zorbing

Autolux

August 19 at The Annex

w/ This Will Destroy You

I definitely have been slacking when it comes to researching what some up and coming acts are playin in town.  I'm also doing a lot of work in preparing for Wisconsin Capitol Pride, Madison's LGBT Pridefest.  So I missed that Autolux was coming into town till I read it in the Isthmus.  Surprise, most of you who read this probably already know they are coming next week.  But for you who do not, take heart.  There is going to be a good show at the Annex. 
Autolux are mellow, shoegaze synth music without the need for heavy vocal distortions.  Soothing and fun, they are a good listen. 

Transit Transit (2010)

Transit Transit

Broken Spindles

August 16th at Project Lodge

w/ Touch People and Shane Shane

via Pitchfork

"Petersen further dissociates himself from the Faint on his third album, as a first listen reveals the lack of guitar and drum parts, with a second revealing there ain't much bass left either. Horror movie piano lines team with ubiquitous blips and bleeps to constitute most of the sonic landscape here, mirroring the Petersen's stark, dehumanized vocals. On instrumental opener "Inward", Petersen plays the role of musician gone mad a bit too convincingly, steering through unstable fugues and OCD key pounding. Brief vignettes "Desaturated" and "Valentine" follow suit, sounding like xeroxed continuations."

An interesting mix with Shane Shane, but hey, it's the guy from the Faint.  Up close and mopey".

"

New Band I Like: Humans

 Vancouver, B.C.

Not always extremely dancy, but always full electronic, Humans are hear for your listening pleasure.  If MGMT went more to their electronic roots then their conventional Psychedelic, this is probably what they would sound like.  Good thing Robbie and Peter did it instead.  Based in Vancouver, B.C., they have a unname CD out now whose songs have been popping up on my music radar a few times.  I also kind of like them for their use of puppets in their music video, featured below.  For an indepth article on them, check out ION's interview HERE.  Or just check out their music below.

Avec Mes Mecs

Fang Island - Redux

August 14 at Memorial Union Terrace

Free Show!!

Here's what I had written about them before when they opened up for Red Sparowes in April.  This is going to be a great outdoor show! 

http://drunkenattraction.blogspot.com/2010/04/fang-island.html

The Books

New Album - The Way Out

I  just got this album and I had only listened to it once, but man, is it pretty great.  Along with some of their more classic cello narration of sampled audio, they have included some more fast paced electronic sounds to some of their other songs.  Like previous albums, the audio samples they have found take precedence and through those sounds, they try and create a musical story.   On the song "A Cold Freezin' Night" you hear multiple children recounting some strong feelings from "I wish I was a boy" to a child recounting how he's going to torture and kill some Meredith (not as gruesome as you would think from this description.  Children have an imaginative and less horrific attitude towards what "torturing" someone would be.  Another song, "I am who I am" you hear what sounds like a preacher bellowing out that he is who he is which to me has a resonance of someone coming out as being something different then the mainstream.  As if the preacher is justifying who he is by repeatedly saying "I am who I am".  This music, labeled "collage music" by one of the duo of The Books, leads one to think more on what the song is trying to say.  On songs where there actually is a singer, the lyrics are just as cryptic and haunting, such as on "We Bought the Flood" which starts, "I was born with a teacup on my head;Copper tin and lead, ash and dust".  

My recommendation, get this album.  If you are like me and have "found" most of The Books albums online because they were out of print, redeem your love for this band by buying this album.  You won't regret it.

The Books

A Cold Freezin Night

Chain of Missing Links

Bear in Heaven, Twin Sisters and Mountain Man

Monday, July 19th at High Noon Saloon

On July 19^th, The High Noon is hosting a showcase of some amazing up and coming indie rock bands. Containing elements of psychedelic tribal sounds for one band to a minimalist instrumentation with harmonizing vocals for another, these bands may seem very different from one another. But they all have some of the most innovative song writing and 2 of them at least have some amazing vocals which is easy to see then why these bands are touring with each other.

Mountain Man is actually the first act of this night that I had heard of. I've been a huge fan of the resurgence of “mountain music” since I listened to the “O Brother, Where art Thou?”'s soundtrack. Mountain Man would have sound at home beside Alison Krauss. Mountain Man is composed of Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Amelia Randall Meath. Three unique sounding voices provide the rhythm for every song these women sing with little to no instruments as support. The first song I heard by them was “Dog Song” which starts off with one voice and no music. Soon a second voice joins the first, sounding completely different even sometimes on a different key but still able to harmonize perfectly with the first. The third “voice” that makes this song is silence, which provides this sound of nothing that the voices keep diving in and out of. The second song that I have heard from them is “Animal Tracks” and this has been a more popular song on the music blogs out there. It adds only a banjo to their voices, keeping the song light and simple and also captivating at the same time. Hearing these women perform these songs live will be something that I'm sure will take your breath away.CHECK OUT THIS INTERVIEW OF THEM.

Twin Sister is an experimental chillwave band from Long Island. I have to admit, this is the only band I feel iffy about not liking although I really do love their music. And you can tell that they put a lot of time into their dreamy, trippy sounds. But when their lead singer comes in and her voice becomes the focus of the song, you lose me. I can understand that it is really hard to combine the perfect sounding vocals with such music, especially if you aren't distorting the vocals through a vocoder or with heavy reverb. The songs I heard without vocals or before the vocals started were amazing. I'm also going to give them leeway where I think they recorded the songs on their own and it could just be the vocals were not well balanced with the rest of the songs.

Bear in Heaven's first album, Red Bloom of the Boom is as experimental as you can get. With either a chord being played for an extended amount of time or just plain dead air in the middle of the song, I can see how it may be hard for many people to enjoy this album. The great thing about it is you can tell they really don't mind trying something different and don't mind changing the sound of a song 4 or 5 times before the song is over. With their latest release, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, they have been able to hone in that experimental sound into something that is really amazing to hear. Great vocals and a surreal yet familiar soundscape lends the listener to feel he or she is having a spirtual moment without feeling like it necessarily is caused by some Acid trip. The songs are beautifully created bringing pop, psychedelic and folk together all in one. 

Mountain Man - Animal Tracks 

Twin Sister - All Around and Away We Go

Bear in Heaven - Lovesick Teenagers
 

Blastoids

 Kids Hands Smell Like Glitter (2009)

According to Wikipedia, Blastoids are "an extinct type of stemmed echinoderm".  I have no idea how that correlates to this band, but I do know that these guys are no echinoderms.  Cause their extinct, of course.  Instead, these Blastoids are Tyler Walker, Joe Volmer and Charlie Hareford all part of some Tennessee cult/collective called the "Owlhead collective."  What other bands are a part of this collective of musicians?  I have no idea.  All I got for bands was one band called "Party Trash" and possibly another band called "Chomp Womp" which actually could be another collective of musicians.  So far what I've heard, there is some crazy good sounds being made in Tennessee.

Blastoids can be right away compared to Animal Collective.  Their vocals.  The setup of their songs.  The craziness of their music and samples they use throughout.  But the sound is all their own.  Being someone who gets bored easily with music, I love any music that is complex, multilayered, that changes completely throughout each song and that has some amazing percussion and vocals.  All I ask.  And this band does all of that.   And what is great is you can download their album for free off their Myspace page.  Hopefully they come up to Madison so we can repay them by rocking out to their show.      

Islands

July 10th on Memorial Union Terrace

via Pitchfork

---

When Jamie Thompson and Nick Diamonds started their second post-Unicorns collaboration it made perfect sense that they should call it Islands. With breezy calypso rhythms, honeyed country-acoustic guitars, bubbly/silly synthesizer effects, and summery melodies, their debut, Return to the Sea, was a wonderful getaway soundtrack, obscuring its death-haunted lyrics with bright arrangements and rich, coconut-scented production

Vapors (2010)
 
Vapors

Caddywhompus

June 30th at Project Lodge

What would someone with ADD and a strong passion for life sound like musically? I’m guessing a lot like the band Caddywhompus. Combining high energy noise/math rock music and strong passionate vocals, Caddywhompus never sticks with one type of sound. Instead, they decide to take people through a range of music from loud, raucous punk to minimalist introspection and they accomplish this all within one song after another. It will be amazing to see them do this live at the Project Lodge this Wednesday, June 30th.

Caddywhompus is made up of Chris Rehm and Sean Hart from New Orleans. They had just released a new album this year. Their new album, Remainder has such an immense feeling and energy to it. At times, it feels like that emotional power has a youthful drive that knows what it eventually wants the listener to feel but doesn’t quite know how it’s going to get him or her there. You become so caught up in their furious pace that when a song does finally slow down and you can catch your breath you realized how much fun it all had been.

Check out my interview of them on Dane101.

You can get both of Caddywhompus’s albums, EPs and Remainder for FREE, if you register at Community Records, a DIY album distributor.

Songs I recommend

Let the Water Hit the Floor (Amazing song!)

... But Not Before a Show

Great New Music: Washed Out

Life of Leisure - Coming out July 6th

I've been listening to this guy's song, "You and I" nonstop since I got it.  Ernest Greene from South Carolina has a way with minimalistic syth sounds that provides the feeling of taking a very relaxing and amazing drug experience.  I mean, what I would guess would be equivalent to an awesome and relaxing drug experience.  You can hear similarities to the band Air in his songs especially with some similar synth sounds he shoots out. His voice is perfect for his music and it just enhances the journey his songs tend to lead you on.  I love when an artist is able to match his voice perfectly to the music, creating some beautiful songs.  I would be extremely happy if this guy makes a stop in our town but the way he seems to be blowing up, I might have to make a trip to Milwaukee to catch him.

Life of Leisure

You and I

Feel It All Around

Summerfest hopefuls

I can't tell you how difficult it has been wading through so many really crappy sounding bands that will be playing at Summerfest this year.  I don't mean crappy like they can't play their instruments or the guys voice isn't on pitch.  No, I mean if you can stand 11 days of forumlaic and boring music with whiney whispering/breathy male vocals , then you would be set.  I do have to say that I mainly checked out bands that I thought I would like, those that are playing the "emerging artists"/ indie/emo stage.  I'm not big into country and rap music has to be pretty damn good for me to care.  But the cover bands for some really great classical rock bands has got me interested and I am pretty excited that Rush is performing though I wonder if they are still as good as they were.  Either way, I compiled by day some bands I think you may like/already enjoy.  If you have other gems among dirt type of bands I might have missed, Please let me know in comments.

June 24th

Kool and the Gang (How can you go wrong there)
Tokyo Police Club
Passion Pit
Sheryl Crow (Not really my thing, but she is playing with General admissions.  And isn't she banging some   hot guy?)

Side Note:  The Cellular Stage where Passion Pit will be headlining will be the official bad emo stage.  Mechanical Kids really sounds and looks like a Justin Bieber led kind of band. LOL.  Looking at their band photo on their Myspace is good for a laugh.

June 25th
 Surgeons in Heat (Wisconsin Band you may see outside Summerfest, but seriously one of the better bands there)
Pink Floyd USA (I don't care if they are a cover band.  IT'S FUCKING PINK FLOYD!  'nough said)

June 26th

Hey, I really like the lineup on the Cellular Stage this day

Cage The Elephant - (Straight up Rock and Roll)
The London Souls (R N B, Rock N Roll)
The Ferocious Few - (Rockabilly, Old Country/Bob Dylan sounding)
Violent Soho - (90's Grunge) 

and for something different T

Thievery Corporation (Jazz/Electronic/DJ)
Hey Champ (Dance/Electronic/Indie)

June 27th

Civil Twilight (possibly good) Don't stick around for Neon Trees unless you like radio rock
B.B King - Come on, A LEGEND. 

 

Upcoming Shows

Hey all,

I created this list of upcoming shows that I want to see in Madison and thought I would share it to all you wonderful, music loving people.  Please comment of bands that I missed that I should probably, definitely go see.

6/26 Woodsman - Project Lodge
6/26  Zola Jesus w/ Dada Trash Collage - The Frequency
6/29 Thao and Mirah w/ The Most of All - High Noon
6/29 Chaos Revolution Theory (Madison band) - Frequency
6/30 Caddywhompus w/ Crane Your Swan Neck (Caddywhompus is amazing!!) - Project Lodge
7/1 Earl Greyhound - Memorial Terrace
7/7 The Ataris (LOL!)
7/10 Islands - Memorial Terrace
7/14 Liars w/ Fol Chen - High Noon Saloon
7/16 Fort Wilson Riot - Project Lodge
7/19 Bear in Heaven (Yeah!) w/ Twin Sister & Mountain Man (Yeah!) - High Noon Saloon (This is going to be an amazing show!)
7/24 Tapes N Tapes - Majestic Theater
7/28 Mahjongg (minimalist, experimental) - Memorial Terrace
8/11 Rooney - High Noon Saloon
8/21 Robbers - High Noon Saloon
9/21 Built to Spill - High Noon Saloon
9/24 Menomena (Yeah!) - High Noon Saloon
9/18 School of Seven Bells (Yeah!) - Majestic Theater

Menomena in Madison!

Friday September 24 at High Noon Saloon.

Thanks to the heads up from Muzzle of Bees about this.  I've been a huge fan of Menomena since my friend Ryan hooked me up with their music.  These guys are really amazing.  Their music is interesting and unique and they sound amazing whether they are harmonizing together or when one of them takes a vocal lead.  They utilize some interesting instruments including bells, a glockenspiel, saxophones and the now widely used loop machine. 

Why I love these guys?  Their music is never boring or repetitious.  I really don't care for a constant drum beat especially if it is an extremely simple sounding one.  Unless the song is meant to be low key and droning on purpose.  Menomena has a talent in utilizing silence in their songs.  In one song the percussion will suddenly pause, then a sax will spurt some notes out, then a guitar will play a riff and the percussion will come back in for a short time before pausing again.  Their vocals become the overarching element of the song that keeps it tight.  The vocals traverse over the cacophany of sound, forming a melody that the rest of the instruments just seem to emphasize without being overbearing.   Really interesting stuff.  Listening to a lot of music, to hear something that stands out and is unique like this is a real pleasure. Check out their stuff for yourself!

 Dirty Cartoons
Weird

Black Mountain

Wednesday, June 30 at High Noon Saloon

Black Mountain is a psychedelic rock band from British Columbia that is part of a sort of collective of musicians in Vancouver.  I'm guessing it's kind of like the Elephant Six collective from Athens, Georgia.  Here's a few of their songs off their newest album

In The Future (2008)

Tyrants

Stormy High

Bands at Sasquatch: The Heavy

Thursday, May 20 at Memorial Union ??

So since all I can really think about lately is my trip to the great NorthWest for Sasquatch, I decided to post some bands that I haven't heard of before but after listening to them I really enjoyed what I heard.  First up is British band, The Heavy.  While looking them up, I noticed that they say on their Myspace page that they are coming to the Memorial Union on May 20th.  Really?   I wonder why WUD didn't have this up on their site?  If this band is coming here, they need to publicize it tremendously so that they get the audience they deserve.   
The Heavy have been compared to James Brown and Curtis Mayfield with the style of their music and the similarities in vocals from Kelvin Swaby.  My feeling is they definitely are taking lessons from older R&B beats and sounds and Kelvin's voice definitely has a great blues sound to it.  If they are coming to the Union, I would hope the terrace will be as packed as it was for Janelle Monae, because these guys really are amazing.  And for Christ's sake they are coming from Britian.  That ain't cheap.  Check out some of their tunes here.

The House that Dirt Built (2009)

Sixteen (video)
How You Like Me Now? (video)