Concert Review: Dear and the Headlights

This is gonna be a two part post since both of the things I'm going to write about are fairly short.

On Friday I was able to catch Track Nine's discovery of the year for 2007, Dear and the Headlights, live at a show here. This was the second time I've seen them now, as some of you might recall Kyle and I caught them in Pittsburgh back in August. These guys are still a very young band, and they've come a long ways in 6 months. Back in August I thought their live performance lacked confidence and cohesion, basically they looked like a band that hadn't played much together.

That wasn't the case Friday, as they gave an energetic and tight performance in front of a hometown crowd, and overall really just put on a good show. They also played quite a few new songs which will be appearing on their next album which I believe they've already started recording. The new songs sounded good on first listen, nothing too surprising, although it sounded like their next album will be a little more experimental.

They're hitting the road with Jimmy Eat World soon for what should be a good tour. Check the dates at their myspace page.

The show itself was a local showcase so most of the other acts were pretty unknown. We missed the first 3 acts, but still managed to catch 4 (why anyone would put 7 bands on a bill I have no idea, but that's besides the point) of them. Of those the only band that I saw some potential in was an indie group Yellow Minute. Their performance was a mix of indie, electronica, and pop stylings with a little acoustic flair thrown in, and I thought they played pretty well. The only 2 songs on their myspace page are acoustic ones so that doesn't give you a real good idea of their performance, but I believe they're working on an EP right now, and I think there's some potential down the road for these guys.

Ok the other thing I am going to post about was from Sunday when I went to see the movie Semi Pro starring Will Ferrell. It was your basic Will Ferrell movie in which they script the whole movie around some goofy character they invent for him, and all in all it was pretty bad, but I had low expectations so I didn't mind. But there was a bright side, in that it featured a great soundtrack full of soul/funk tunes. Since I didn't have any songs to post from the earlier part, I'll just share a few of my favorite tracks from the movie.

Tower of Power - So Very Hard To Go

In all honesty not one of my favorite Tower songs, but still a good one. I've been getting into these guys a lot lately, and hopefully I can dedicate a full post to them sometime in the near future.

Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up

This is a classic, and even if you don't recognize the original, you'll most likely recognize it as the sample from Kanye West's song "Touch the Sky".

Sly & The Family Stone - Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be)

I know everyone knows the song, but I had never heard this funky version from Sly and friends. One listen to their soulful rendition of the chorus had me hooked.

Burial

There is this club/lounge/bar in Pittsburgh called Firehouse. For the past few months my buddies from work and I have been going there quite a bit. This ties in because they play a lot of house music, and I have started to actually kind of dig it. Now, not all of it. For some reason I've been liking the more ambient/darker stuff that they play, so I did a little digging into the scene and found some bands that I really like. I guess they are technically in the genre dub-step, which I call 'dance music that you can't dance to'. At the forefront is the band Burial with their album Untrue.

This album definitely isn't for everyone. It wasn't for me until about 4 weeks ago, but since then I've been spinning it a lot. Doing dishes, ironing clothes, chillin in your room, walking down Carson Street at night...all these times are real nice for a little Burial music. In fact, when I hear the music it reminds me of walking through an empty courtyard in a slight drizzle, monolithic buildings all around that may have one or two shadowy lights on inside. Maybe you'll get what I mean when you hear the music. Burial has some vocals, but they are all sped up or faded in and out. Nothing in them is natural at all; they float by just like the shadows in my little scene before.

The first tune is the one that hooked me, 'Archangel'. The beat kicks in quickly, and the ghostly voices enter the song. Crackles like a faded record hiss in the background and the ambient tones add to the dark mood of the song. A perfect song to get you in the mood. The second song I chose is called 'Ghost Hardware' which starts with a chilling line from a female voice and the tin-like beat kicks in along with some slight breaks where a gun sounds like it's being reloaded. The last tune is called 'Homeless'. This one brings in all kinds of voices and nuances, some harsher sounds, but still keeps the crackles that keep the records dark and almost ghostly edge. I wonder if you guys will like this, haha.

Burial - Archangel


Burial - Ghost Hardware


Burial - Homeless

The Mumlers

2007 saw the explosion of the group Beirut onto the musical scene with their much praised release The Flying Club Cup. Critics loved their indie and folk roots combined with their creative use of instrumentation to construct a simple yet complex sound. Hooray. But if you're like me, it was hard to grasp onto frontman Zach Condon's rigid singing style, it was just not expressive enough for me, which is often my downfall when trying to get into a lot of indie stuff.

So instead today I'm presenting the poor man's Beirut, a little group out of San Jose known as The Mumlers, who just released their debut album Thickets and Stitches last week. In a way they're very similar to Beirut, but a little more soulful. They present the same broad use of instruements (including a horn section which I believe is a french horn and a trombone) and folky roots. But what really gets me with these guys is frontman ______'s voice(I couldn't find his name anywhere). He has such a rich and toneful voice that adds so much character to the songs, especially when he slows down and sings in a lower range like on "The Hinge's Lament". His style features a very laid back approach that often finds him singing behind the beat (a la the singer from Cake), something that I think adds to the down home, folky, and almost melancholy sound.

To be honest, there are some things that bug me about this group as well. They have a bit of "Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos" syndrome in that they seem to incorporate too many parts at once, especially that damn french horn. There's a couple rather weak tracks on the album as well, but overall I think it's an interesting album that has a very unique sound but still manages to be easily liked.

The first track Shack That Medication was the song that first got me onto the group, and its a great upbeat one with a funky, jazzy side; they sound almost like a whiter version of G Love.

The Mumlers - Shake That Medication

Other than that the album remains pretty mellow, but still entertaining.

The Mumlers - Red River Hustle

The Mumlers - The Hinge's Lament


Enjoy

- Alec

Sea Wolf

For the last month and a half I have been reading a lot of other people's "Top 10, 20, or 50 albums" posts on various sites. I always think that a lot of the lists aren't very good, but for you Track Nine readers and only you I have waded through the shit and brought you one of the pearls. Having a month or so to digest all of these 'new' albums has been great (as well as ones like Lupe Fiasco's which came so late in the year), and in fact I think my best of 2007 list would already look differently were it put out today.

Sea Wolf was one band that kept coming up on these lists with their album Leaves in the River. They are a straight-up indie band from LA that will haunt you forever after you listen to them. I say that because these songs will get stuck in your head pretty quickly. That's not because they are poppy or catchy or anything like that. It's really just because they are so well written that the parts of the songs mesh perfectly in your head....and boom...stuck.

The first tune is called 'Winter Windows'. It opens with an unusual instrument (I'm not even really sure what it is) that sounds like a synthesized bagpipe. The beat quickly kicks in and the chorus shortly soon after. Hand claps, an unusual snare pattern, and the synthesized voicing keep your foot tapping well thereafter. The second tune is 'Black Dirt' which starts off with some acoustic finger picking and then breaks into an indie gem. The last song, 'Neutral Ground' shows the softer, more dreamy side of Sea Wolf. This one uses some ambient noise and echo effects to produce a bit of a ghostly effect. It's my personal favorite, so check it out. Enjoy!

Sea Wolf - Winter Windows


Sea Wolf - Black Dirt


Sea Wolf - Neutral Ground

Sleeping At Last

Sleeping At Last have found their way onto my music rotation lately with their 2006 release Keep No Score, which offers a nice blend of indie pop with a side of emo to go along. Although their sound is a little on the poppier side, its not too much to make you want to gag, or too emo to make you want to cry alone in a dark corner. In addition to this, they also have a nice orchestral sound on the album which makes it more unique. They incorporate quite a few string arrangements in their songs, and I think they're pretty well done at that.

Overall its a somber album, but the song writing and arrangements give it a nicely sculpted beauty. I usually find myself listening to it late at night when I'm on the computer getting ready to go to bed.

As for the band itself, they're a trio out of Wheaton Illinois who have released a few previous albums under a label, but have found the most success with the independently released Keep No Score, including the song "quicksand" being featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy. I haven't listened to any of their other albums, and I doubt I will, mostly because I think more than one album would become boring and monotonous. While I enjoy their work, it definitely lacks an edge and definition at times, and the songs can begin to sound similar. In fact I have trouble picking out which songs I can really recognize and identify with, rather I just prefer to put on the album and let it play in the background.

Check it out if you're looking for something more laid back with a nice sound

Sleeping At Last - Tension & Thrill

Sleeping At Last - Needle & Thread

Sleeping At Last - Heaven Breaks


On another note, I have some bad news to report. Track Nine favorites The Format have decided to call it quits. Their debut album Interventions and Lullabies was probably the easiest cd to get people to like ever. As soon as a person heard it for a second time they were immediately hooked. Kyle and I were able to turn so many people onto that band, and it was so easy. They had a knack for creating upbeat songs that you couldn't help but sing along with and tap your toes to. They will be missed. Hopefully we'll be getting back to you later this year with some word on frontman Nate Ruess's debut solo album, set to come out in 2008.


-Alec

When Old becomes New

I think it's quite natural for people to always keep looking for new music that pleases them. I know that I am constantly looking for new bands that I dig, and new genres that I haven't really explored. All this being said, it's always great to look back where you came from sometimes. And with me that begins in high school with the Impossibles, but also with a bunch of other bands that thrust me into the music world.

One of these bands, which remains as one of my all-time favorites, is Alkaline Trio. Their album Goddammit! hit me hard when I first got it. It was one of my first favorite albums...so raw, edgy, and real that I immediately took a liking to it. This isn't exactly the band you want your kids taking after (eg. they sometimes play on stage in priest costumes with an upside-down cross as the backdrop, they sing songs about frequent drug use and bad break ups, and they can be known to drop some nasty verses) but they sure as hell make good tunes.

The first tune I posted is called 'Cringe', and whenever I hear the intro to this tune I get excited. Just that little bass pluck, and you know that Matt Skiba is about to erupt in his signature wail. The second, called 'My Little Needle' is one of those tunes you don't really want to play for your mom. It talks about heroin addiction and how the only way the guy can really feel anything is when he 'waters himself back to life' with his needle. I'm not sure if this is a relevant story to a certain member of the band, but I probably wouldn't be surprised. The last tune, 'Message from Kathlene' brings Dan Andriano and his crooning voice to the forefront. It pushes just as much as the other two and offers a nice contrast to Skiba's singing. Maybe you've listened to these guys before, maybe not, but go back in time with me and check out Goddammit! once again.

Alkaline Trio - Cringe

Alkaline Trio - My Little Needle

Alkaline Trio - Message From Kathleen

A couple random songs of 07

Ok this is the last post about 2007 I swear, but I had a couple random songs that I really enjoyed from last year I wanted to post before tackling 2008.

G&D - They're a funk/soul duo from Chicago, and I really enjoyed the first song of theirs I ever heard. I then proceeded to buy the album on itunes only to find it full of weird skits and odd songs, a pretty big disappointment. I still love the first song I heard from them though, so I'm gonna post that. When they're not putting together weird and goofy stuff, the laid back funk with a bit of modern hip hop influences is really cool. In a way its like a funkier version of Lauren Hill.

G&D - One

Straylight Run - These guys fell so far for me over the past couple years. Before their debut album came out, I was in love with all their demos and really into the band. Then their S/T album came out, on which they had screwed with all their songs, and ever since I've completely forgotten about them. 2007 saw the release The Needles The Space, which doesn't return them to their past glory, but it is at least a step up from some of the stuff they've released recently. Their newest work shifts the focus from brother John Nolan to his sister Michelle Nolan, who takes over a lot of the vocal duties, and who also happens to be really hot. I think the real strength of Straylight is when they feature both John and Michelle on songs together, as their voices compliment each other nicely. But then again I'm a sucker for guy/girl harmonies. While The Needles The Space isn't an amazing album, if you've liked any of their previous stuff, its definitely worth checking out.

Straylight Run - Cover Your Eyes

Treasure Fingers - Atlanta DJ. Electronic/Funk music. Ridiculous synth bass line.

Treasure Fingers - Come True Tonite (Dub Mix)


Ok, bring on 2008.

Alec