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Download “Oceanic” by Imaad Wasif | After listening to Jeff Buckley’s Grace and Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk hundreds of times, you realize the dead does not grow old; it will let you indulge in its immortality that comes from having died, but it will not give you continuation, it will not give you a whiff of the present, and it will not get into deeper crevices with you. So the throne I would’ve sat Buckely on, had he continued to live, I’ve assigned to Imaad Wasif. He with his Two Part Beast promises to fill the void. I hope he lives up to my expectations when he is in town:
July 17 Brooklyn, NY Shangri-La
July 18 New York NY Cake Shop
ps. Jeff lives on another throne, but that one’s reserved for the dead.
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Download “Wheelpusher” by Anni Rossi | Everyone seems to love the Ting Tings, but it’s opener Anni Rossi I’ve my eyes on while the two acts are in town for a date at Bowery Ballroom and Southpaw this week - though unfortunately for latecomers like me, both shows are sold out. Regina Spektor and Joanna Newsom comparisons are afloat, and to the extent that these comparisons are useful, they are true for violist/singer/songwriter Rossi, if only owing to the tradition of a stringed instrument (when the arrangement is viola-based), the temperament of some songs I’ve heard so far, and a singing style that can be considered whimsical. The degree of similarities are insignificant, however, but the description on Rossi’s myspace applies: “Great music for Family and Friends! Gather around the table.”
When I picked up Black Mountain’sIn the Future and asked my friend Lev if he’d heard of the band, his eyes popped in such diameters of familiarity and glee that I had to ask him to write up the review. Says he:
Whether intentionally sarcastic, or accidentally honey-tongued, the title of Black Mountain’s second full-length “In The Future” is a perfectly unfitting title to describe the music contained therein. The opening chords of “Stormy High” teleport you back to the smoke-filled seventies, doused in all of the psychedelic fervor, debauchery, and flower-power that gleamed so bright some-forty-odd years ago. Large doses of whirling organ, fuzzed out Gibson SG’s, and dual vocal harmonies drowned in reverb, undoubtably, and comfortably, place this record alongside some of the dusty vinyl in your dad’s record collection. The album’s song structures stick to such a relentlessly precise formula of combing abrupt moments of energy and drudging meditative breaks that the schizophrenic rhythm of the album sometimes begs for a shorter, more impactive musical delivery. Ultimately, this album will appeal to people either attempting to relive their youth under the guise of the seventies, or those assuming the seventies never ended.
New York’s brass outfit Zlatne Uste hosts the annual Golden Festival this weekend, bringing over 50 bands to upper Manhattan in celebration of Balkan brass. The festival starts modestly tonight at The Good Shepherd School from 7:30 PM, resuming the festivities there at 6:00 PM tomorrow, when bands will play three stages till 4 AM. See full schedule.
One of them is Providence’s What Cheer Brigade, who I saw at the center of an enchanted crowd gathered outside the McCarren Pool during last summer’s Man Man show. They will be playing the Auditorium at 3AM. Pictures from that first encounter:
If you missed buying Joanna Newsom tickets, like I did, for her show at BAM with members of Brooklyn Philharmonic, do not despair! Another date has been added the night before: Jan 31 it is, and good seats are still available.
The lounge area that is now part of Soundfix Records sits cozily past its music collection, and is a venue you want to take advantage of. The intimacy it provides is unlike any other record store’s, since there are tables over which specialty drinks can be had in a laid back atmosphere, away from all the records under bright lights of commerce; and the size of the room itself is just right. Bowerbirds took no more than 15 minutes to set up. After the most basic of sound checks, the acoustics proved its worth as well. Other events may prove otherwise, but the venue was a superb fit for this particular band (while handling my t-shirt purchase, singer Phil Moore said that he had previously been unaware of the store’s existence, but was glad to have discovered it through playing it; on stage he mentioned how good it felt to play a small venue after touring with the Mountain Goats for the past few weeks).
Download “Oceanic” by Imaad Wasif | After listening to Jeff Buckley’s Grace and Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk hundreds of times, you realize the dead does not grow old; it will let you indulge in its immortality that comes from having died, but it will not give you continuation, it will not give you a whiff of the present, and it will not get into deeper crevices with you. So the throne I would’ve sat Buckely on, had he continued to live, I’ve assigned to Imaad Wasif. He with his Two Part Beast promises to fill the void. I hope he lives up to my expectations when he is in town:
