Sound like fun?? It's not what you think. For the second year, the Canadian group Barenaked Ladies are hosting a week long cruise on a Carnival cruise ship. Even though it's only the second year of the event, it's been named Ships and Dip III, due to the amazing success of Ships and Dip I. Tyler Stewart of BNL says, "Screw Ships & Dip II, last year was so awesome, we're going straight to 3!! Not 3-D, though, that'd be crap." The ship leaves Sunday, January 27, 2008 and will travel from Miami to the Grand Cayman's and Jamaica. Members of Barenaked Ladies will be on board all five days of the cruise, and are being joined by Guster, The New Odds, Jason Plumb and Gaelic Storm. According to the BNL website, the cruise will include: * all meals (there's gourmet fare in the formal dining rooms, casual indoor and outdoor grills open for meals throughout the day and 24 hour room service) * non-carbonated beverages (i.e. tea, juices, coffee) * free entrance to hot spots like the ship's disco, casino and piano bar * use of the ship's beautiful pools and giant waterslide (all with plenty of deck space to enjoy a cocktail and some great music) * use of the ship's health and fitness center * Camp Carnival facilities if you're bringing your children * taxes, gratuities, port charges and ticketing are added at check-out and pre-paid for you ($119 per person)
This is all in addition to a week's worth of live music and shows by Barenaked Ladies and special guests!
Those who attended last year's cruise have nothing but great things to say about their week in the sun with this incredible band. It's an incredible idea, and something that not many artists do! So if you love Barenaked Ladies, make your reservations for this amazing week of music! The website is www.shipsanddip.com.
Justin Timberlake. The Tacoma Dome. September 8th, 2007. Every teenage girl's fantasy, right? When I first heard Justin Timberlake was coming to the Seattle area, I knew I had to get tickets. I wanted to re-live my boy band-loving youth, and I felt I owed it to my thirteen-year old self to go see the leader of NSYNC in concert. Okay, that is a lie. I love Justin. I would go see him anyways...and I did. I bet you are wondering how old I am. Well, as a 21-year-old JT fan, I have to say that it was the best concert I have ever been to. And, I do admit, I did scream like a teenage girl when he performed part of an NSYNC hit, "Gone". The concert began with, literally, an explosion of screams when Justin first came out and sang his first song, "Future Sex/Love Sound". With a full band, backup dancers, and singers, it really was a fantastic show. JT really is a unique performer. The show was definitely unique, with its stage in a shape similar to the Greek letter "phi" and "theta" together. Around the edges of the oddly shaped stage, there were a few VIP seats, which were bar seats. There was literally a bar on the side of the stage, for which those lucky fans were served drinks all night. At one instance, the lovely JT proposed a toast to the audience, which everyone went crazy for. There were curtains that doubled as a video screen, which was played up and changed depending on each song. I was happily surprised when he played some of his own instruments. He played piano multiple times, guitar, and keyboards among others. One of the highlights of the show was when he performed "What Goes Around/Comes Around". He held a portable camera up close to his face, and thanks to the lovely curtains, we could see him close up. If that weren't enough, at the end of the song he moved the camera away from his face, and slowly down his tie, and stopped at his belt. I literally saw a girl, out of the corner of my eye, scream until she had to sit down. It was insane, but in a fabulous way! Justin performed all of the songs from his most recent CD, and the set and curtains changed to show off the "flavor" of each song. My personal favorite was when he sang "Chop Me Up", and the set and the video/curtains turned into a fun city at night. Overall, the concert was amazing. Justin truly is a spectacular performer. Yes, I am 21, but I'm not ashamed that I STILL love him!
Hot Hot Heat mellows out with limited Happiness, Hard-Fi makes a useless statement, and Siouxsie returns from the dead... metaphorically of course
Hot Hot Heat - Happiness LTD
Did Steven Bays break up recently? Because that's really the vibe I'm getting from this album. It's much more dour and downcast then their three previous efforts, lacking the breakneck pace. Even the lead single, "Let Me In," doesn't hold up to the Make Up the Breakdown and Elevator lead-offs "Bandages" and "Goodnight Goodnight," while "Waiting For Nothing" just whines without going anywhere. "Give Up?," the re-recorded "5 Times out of 100," and "Conversation" rampage like the best of their previous albums, with the former's chorus almost sounding like a disco-western. While the slower tempo and generally safer arrangements may be alien to some of Hot Hot Heat's more ardent fans, it's not all bad. The title track's odd keyboard effects and the cleverly stupid "Harmonicas and Tambourines" give the album some odd flourishes which make up for the break down (sorry for the pun, for those who get it) in speed and recklessness. So it's a disappointment, ultimately. Hopefully Bays' mood will improve for full length number four.
Siouxsie - Mantaray
So, there definitely is a backstory here that needs to be explored. So, here, click here and explore it.
First impressions are important. For many, the first impression they'll get of Hard Fi's sophomore effort Once Upon a Time in the West is the awful title and the mind boggling artistic "statement" of the cover art - a plain yellow backdrop against which the words "No Cover Art" glare.
Excuse me?
So, rant aside, is the album on par with their amazing debut, Stars of CCTV? Yes. From the chest-beating of lead single "Suburban Knights" to the synth-strut of "We Need Love," Once Upon a Time... certainly scales the same politicized yet personalized heights of CCTV. The band is able this time around to slow their sound without hindering the momentum of the album. The devastatingly beautiful and simple "Help Me Please" and the downbeat strings and clever melody of album highlight "Watch Me Fall Apart" show the band stretching outside their anthemic comfort zone. Richard Archer's lyrics are still the best when he stays personal, and the band does the best when they achieve their blend of dance, rock, and punk, as on the brassy, arresting "Little Angel."
Yes, watching Cougs play the Aztecs was a major reason to make the trek to Seattle , but I was far more excited to see the band Wolf Parade. Since their debut album "Apologies to Queen Mary"(2005), the Montreal quartet have toured sporadically, but several of the band members have started other successful bands. I expected the band to sound somewhat out of practice as a result, but I was sweetly surprised.
After two solid opening acts, Siberian and Holy F***, the small Capitol Hill bar, Neumos, began to seem a lot smaller. I clamored for a position as close the the front and center of the stage as possible. Unaware that the band had duel vocalists, I was shocked to find out that the lead singer's unmistakable voice was the work of two people. Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug, the two vocalists sound very similar in their unconventional off-kilter ways. But the band introduced new songs, showing a definite separation in the vocalist's styles. Krug's new songs were deliberate and slow paced, while Boeckner ventured further into his style of hectic yokel/yelling with his tunes. The venue, which was a glorified box with beer, seemed unimportant compared to the music. It was sweaty, it was cramped and uncomfortable, but it didn't matter. Boeckner said it best, "When I refer to 'dude' I mean it as the crowd as a whole... If you all were a dude at a party, you would be the really nice guy." And as one "dude" we jumped and hollered to the songs that we didn't yet know, and we screamed and jumped in circles and danced to the songs that we did know.
It was like a being in a hidden club in an apocalyptic world devoid of color, art, emotion, and the only form of expression left was music. Krug's voice, especially during the emotionally stirring closing song, "I'll Believe in Anything" was the voice of he underground revolution (concert goers) as they (us) piled into the venue to feel the heat, feel the awkward shoulder to shoulder contact, and feel the collective thumping of several hundred bodies, singing along with the music that united our cause.
Kanye West. Love him or hate him, he has done it again; Released an album that is already causing a stir in the entertainment industry of America. In his latest release, Graduation, Kanye West once again reveals his own thoughts and beliefs through his songs. There have already been several hit tracks from the album to hit radio playlists around the country including "Stronger" and "Can't Tell Me Nothing". West also was one of the main performers at this year's MTV Video Music Awards live from Las Vegas, where he performed his latest single "Good Life". West's latest release was incredibly hyped, thanks to a release date set to be the same as 50 Cent's new album Curtis on September 11, 2007. 50 Cent publicly announced that he would retire from the hip-hop industry if West's album outsold his own in the first week of sales. Unfortunately for 50 Cent, West's album has exploded, leaving 50's album sales looking dismal in comparison. 50 Cent has revoked his bet, saying he will not be quitting hip-hop anytime soon after all. To the world of hip-hop, many fans, including those who do not like the artist because of his strong political beliefs and various actions, admit that his newest album is a step in the right direction for the rap world. Critics have been giving it rave reviews, and many claim that "every song on the album is a hit". However, despite the soaring record sales, success has not been 100% for West's with this release. When interviewed about the 2007 MTV VMA's, West said he had written the track "Stronger" in hopes of being able to open the show with a performance of it at this year's awards. MTV instead chose Britney Spears to perform her latest single, which most people felt was a flop. West was frustrated by this, saying that Spears "hadn't had a hit in a million years". West was also overlooked for the second year in a row, losing in all 5 categories for which he was nominated. For now, it looks like he'll have to make do with money rather than awards. Kanye West's Graduation is on sale in stores now.
So the summer has gone by and has begun to fade quickly towards fall. The memories of the summer's hit songs still remain, sometimes painfully, buzzing in our heads.
But what seems unfortunate is that for every truckload of manufactured chartbusters, a la "A Bay Bay" and the reprehensible "This is Why I'm Hot," a handful of beautifully crafted albums slipped through the cracks, ignored.
Indie reared it's head as a commercial force this year, with the Shins and Arcade Fire both taking their signature formulas to #2 in the Billboard album charts and Modest Mouse actually taking the top spot. The White Stripes scored the biggest hit of their career with the ragged, glitchy "Icky Thump," while Muse graduated to arena shows as Black Holes and Revelations continued to gain commercial acceptance.
So while the idea of Good Music is beginning to make a comeback, it still has a way to go. Take a look at some of the most criminally overlooked records from the summer. Buy them, download them, whatever, just get a hold of them.
Cooper Temple Clause - Make This Your Own
Talk about ending your career on a high note. After Make This Your Own was commercially D.O.A. on both sides of the Atlantic, the Coopers disbanded. They leave behind three albums of staggering diversity, which is crystallized by the presence of this CD. Hairpin dynamic shifts ("Damage," "Homo Sapiens"), growling electronics ("Head"), and a total disregard for eardrums ("All I See is You") crop up throughout the album, right next to pure, unadulterated pop like the rather inconsequential "Waiting Game." The album drifts to a close on the quietly devastating ballad "House of Cards." Using a crumbling relationship as a metaphor for the disintegration of the band itself, the song drifts by on a quiet piano line and a slow-buildling horn section. "All I know is wrong," howls Ben Gautrey, but this isn't your typical angsty teenager. Gautrey meant it. The album fades out with a gang vocal chanting "What does it matter now? / You'll never come home." It's a disquieting end to an album that never stops engaging a music fan's brain.
Homo Sapiens
Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse
One of the darkest releases of the year. Hands down. Also one of the most beautiful. Loaded to the brim but never cluttered, and expansive without being boring. The songs have titles like "Devastation," "Disaster," and "And You Lied to Me," and lyrics like "they won't play your song on the radio" and "all the townsfolk moved away." While the bleak lyrical content of wars, spies, separation, and infidelity weigh heavily on the listener, the tightly wound arrangements give an escape. They frequently go on beyond the five minute mark, but you're suckered in. You never want to skip a song, you want to see how the vignette ends. For Agent 13
Yourcodenameis:Milo - They Came From the Sun
It's been the indie apocalypse this summer. Hope of the States, Cooper Temple Clause, and now Yourcodenameis:Milo have all parted ways, all right on the verge of a major breakthrough. But damn if they didn't go out with a bang, :Milo in particular. From the churning barrel-roll and jarring time shift of opener "Pacific Theatre" and the emo-done-right of "Understand" and "All That Was Missing," it's one of the best opening sequences of an album in recent memory. The album then sets in to :Milo's trademark experimentalism, as jazzy time signatures, judiciously used electronics, and schizophrenic dynamics take hold, with thrilling results. As the 7/4 dreaminess of "Dicta Boelcke" fades out, :Milo has had the last laugh. The simple, repetitive melody acts as a counterweight to the much more complex songs that dot the latter half of the disc, and closes the album, and the band's career, with a deep, relaxing breath.
Understand
Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch
Where to go from a jazz album? Punk! But of course! But with Norwegian singer/songwriter/guitarist/wonderkid Sondre Lerche, it's never that simple. While on the surface Phantom Punch sounds like a Strokes rip-off, all wirey, scratchy, tinny wailing, the songs themselves are a little more sophisticated than "Last Nite." It has done Lerche good to be restrained to a three piece, as this album is trimmed of the flourishes that sometimes weighed down Lerche's earlier work. That still doesn't stop him from indulging in jazzy chord progressions, complex melodies, and deadly-addictive hooks. The disco freak-out of the title track's chorus and the stomp of the vaguely sinister "John, Let Me Go" point at unabashed pop. Lyrics remain somewhat of a weakness. It's obvious English is not Lerche's first language. But as the music begins to overtake the listener, Lerche's unique voice overtakes whatever linguistic deficiencies he may have. Not that it matters all that much anyway.
Phantom Punch
Manic Street Preachers - Send Away the Tigers
Their first release in the States since1998's high water mark This is My Truth Tell Me Yours, the Manics continue their streak of high quality, sonically bracing albums. Stripping away the synth-heavy gloss of 2004's Lifeblood, the trio harks back to the heavily politicized, punk-tinged arena rock that garnered them fame throughout Europe. While it never climbs to the dizzying, terrifying heights of their brutal Holy Bible, it quickly becomes apparent that they don't need to. "Your Love Alone is Not Enough," featuring the call and response vocal with the Cardigans' Nina Persson and a chorus some would kill for, finds the first rock band to ever play in Cuba having fun, something unimaginable a recently as three years ago. "The Second Great Depression" glides by on waves of delayed guitars and James Dean Bradfield's unique, passionate voice, while "Imperial Bodybags" snarls and spits at the Iraq war without ever seeming contrived. The band is considerably lighter on its feet here; running times are kept short, the whole album only lasts a good 38 minutes. And last but certainly not least, lyricist/bassist Nicky Wire has come up with his best batch of words in the band's whole career throughout the album, "Rendition," and it's post-chorus realization "Oh, God, I feel like a liberal." Your Love Alone is Not Enough
Hail Social - Modern Love and Death
Generally, hopping on a bandwagon is a bad thing. But if the shoe fits... It seems as though touring with Interpol has tempered Hail Social's bass-heavy rock attack into something a little more subtle but no less sinister. The dreamy, straight-up disco of lead single "Heaven" masks a darker lyrical bent ("Then you don't belong / with the rest of us / in the eyes of heaven") and that dichotomy seems to be the modus operandi for the entire CD. While some see it as crass exploitation of a popular trend, Hail Social fit into it with much more ease than some of their contemporaries, namely VHS or Beta.
Heaven
Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
It's David Bowie! Okay, David Bowie if the guitar suddenly seemed boring and prancing around in a red leotard was a good idea. The flamboyant Patrick Wolf's mood seems to have lifted as of late. The nihilism and crushing darkness of the performer's two previous albums has lifted slightly. The string sections on this album are lilting, not depressive and overblown. The electronics are trimmed and inventive, not cacaphonous. And Wolf's own baritone and lyrical wit have emerged from the dark. Well, aside from the devastating relationship-gone-flat torch ballad "Augustine." Although the album is slightly weighed down by the presence of four rather pointless interludes, Wolf's genius as an arranger is readily apparenty through the full songs. He deftly moves from the classicist, string-led "Overture," the Motown stop of the love-song title track, and the electronic freakout of "Accident and Emergency" before venturing off into more piano dominated tolerated. Wolf plays most of what is heard on the record, which is amazing when one considers the sheer number and diversity of instruments that crop up.
Accident & Emergency
Do you agree with what was said? Think that throwing-a-saxophone-down-an-elevator-shaft (a.k.a. jazz fusion) project your roommate recorded in your bathroom deserved chart grandeur but was shafted by an ignorant public? Leave a comment. We're always ready to humor you.
There was no better way to spend a late summer day than in Seattle Center at the 2007 Bumbershoot music and arts festival. The day got off to a perfect start - I found street parking less than 10 blocks away - I high-fived my girlfriend. After some wandering around the festival grounds I decided to make my way to the main stage. I plopped down at my spot about 40 minutes before the first show, the 1980s band Crowded House.
The band members took to the stage with gray or no hair and played tunes from a collection of 20 years of songs. The crowd was as varied as the band's musical catalog. Middle-aged people sprinkled the crowd with their children singing along with the smooth pop songs as kids sat on parents shoulders while their parents danced and sang along to the band as if they were 20-years-old. The shock of the first show came when Pearl Jamfront man Eddie Vedder took the stage to sing several songs with the band. After a moment of awkward silence I asked myself out loud, "Is that Eddie Vedder?" I was quickly answered when Crowded House lead singer Neil Finn from Sydney, Australia welcomed his friend "Eddie" [Vedder] from his sister city Seattle. From that point on I was content to simply soak in the novelty of the moment regardless what the band played or sounded like. It was awesome. As soon as Crowded House ended, the older crowd members dispersed and a much younger crowd rushed the stage.
I soon found my comfortable position to the right center of stage being collapsed from all sides by teenage girls, guys with graphic T-shirts and baseball hats, and a generous mix of college students and high-schoolers. It was very cramped and not the way I wanted to spend watching one of my favorite bands, The Shins. The Portland, Ore. foursome took the to stage and set a psychedelic pace to the show with the song "Sleeping Lessons" a sparse, eerie track reminiscent of Pink Floyd, whichmorphed into a indie rock anthem at its finish. As I looked around I noticed few audience members reacting to the first song the way I did - jumping up and down at first with excitement and then siting back mouthing the words and enjoying the perfect execution of the song. Several lesser known, but excellent songs followed the first. The turn in the show came when the band played the first few notes of their song "New Slang." Because of the hugely popular movie Garden State (2004) that featured two of The Shins tracks, a huge number of fans, who apparently came to see the band based solely on the movie, rushed the stage with the force of a tidal wave. I twisted my ankle. A guy in a white Polo with the collar "popped", careened into my back screaming the lyrics to the song jumping up and down. I turned and glared at him and pushed him away with my forearm. He pushed forward screaming on his way, "Come on sing along, it's an awesome song!" I agreed, but I actually wanted to enjoy it. I spent the remainder of the song distracted by aerial bombardments of crowd-surfers, girls jumping around and giggling because the finally found each other in the vast expanse, and groups of guys jumping around - a mosh pit. I thought the behavior more fitting of... well, lead singer James Mercer said it best, "I feel like I'm at a Jane's Addiction concert in 1992." The band was awesome, nearly flawless, but my experience rapidly deteriorated as the overhead traffic increased and my ankle continued to throb. I wish I saw the band a few years earlier.
After recovering with some pizza and a few beers, I set off for the smaller Sound Transit Stage, which featured independent artists and a more laid back atmosphere. Menomena(buh- duh- buh- duh- buh, men-om-ena, buh- duh- buh- duh) brought many unconventional elements to a rock show: a saxophone, a choir, and two drummers. The band captured the attention of the crowd with the song "The Pelican", which began with the lead singer yelling the opening lyrics against a simple piano refrain. The piano melody picked up, and then the drums and guitar shattered the evening air. The crowd began to bob along. The song, and the concert was thrashy and disjointed, but always seemed to be backed in melody. The rest of their set mixed elements of funk, rock, jazz, pop and blues; none of it could be classified as any one genre, but somehow the band captivate the audience and myself. The final song "Rotten Hell" picked up where the first song left off - with simple piano and piercing vocals. Instead of melting into a clashing finale, the piano led the song throughout blending with the previously disjointed elements into a harmonious crescendo. Up next: Aqueduct.
Aqueductis David Terry on guitar, keyboard, and vocals, accompanied by a drummer and bassist. When Terry, opened his mouth and sang the first notes, I was shocked to hear such a fresh, almost cocky voice come from the large bearded man on the right of the stage rather than the skinnier man on the left side. The guitar in Terry's hands looked like a toy ukulele as he wildly strummed. He pounded away at the keyboard like an excited toddler. As soon as the band stepped on the stage I could tell that they were just out to have some fun, and with each song Terry let the crowd know how great it was to play for such a big crowd. He assured everyone that the show would be "Awesome." It was like a long musical joke - but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The band filled in over prerecorded beats to make up for their sound; but it did not matter that they were so small, their sound was so over-the-top, and their lyrics so sarcastic that I just had to let myself relax, dance around, and enjoy the show. They played a song about the movie The Princes Bride (1987), songs with rap inspired influence but played in their style, and a song called "Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights." The biggest laughter of the evening came, however, with their first encore song, which was a cover of the R. Kelly song "I'm a Flirt". The band was a contradiction - such a big sound from such a little band, rap lyrics from an overweight white guy, and being an indie band who didn't care if people danced and sang along at their show. It was a good way to end the night.
