Dividing By Zero Will Get You Nowhere

WE'VE MOVED!!!!

2007-12-22T10:25:00.000-06:00

Please update you bookmarks, links, etc:

http://dividing.wordpress.com

Thanks!

In Which I Very Briefly and Very Belatedly Review Last Month's Of Montreal Show at The Pageant

2007-12-19T21:37:00.000-06:00

So, one month ago tonight, I saw Of Montreal at The Pageant. They put on, as they are wont to do, a great show. I have seen them play here in St. Louis three times, the first being just two years ago. Their progression through the venues of St. Louis in a two year stretch is indicative of their reach in pop-culture at large over that time period; the first show was at the tiny Gargoyle, then Mississippi Nights and now The Pageant. Their latest album, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, is easily my favorite album from the band one one of my favorites on the year (Best of 2007 list coming soon, I swear!).

We got to the venue right after MGMT played, but the reviews I got from friends that had been there on time were mixed. Eh.

We did, however, get to see Grand Buffet. Wow, they were bad. Two white guys rapping as if the only band they had ever listened to was the Beastie Boys, but somehow managed to completely disregard the quality production and craftmanship of the backing tracks. They were entertaining for - maybe - one song. After that, it got old fast. A band like that really needs to be funny, or at least charming. They were neither. There were two rappers, and for ease, I will refer to one as the skinny guy and one as the fat guy. I consistently wanted to punch the skinny guy in the face. The fat guy could actually rhyme every now and then, had decent flow, and actually had a good voice. I breathed a sigh of relief every time he took over the mic from the skinny guy. They put me in a bad mood leading into Of Montreal, but I was at least aware of this issue and tried to not let it affect me going into the main event.

The stage setup for Of Montreal was way more elaborate than anything I had ever seen them utilize before. The trade-off, apparently, was fewer costume changes for the night. Alas. The band is known for its live covers, and this night was no exception, with the band opening the show with Prince's electro-ballad classic "I Would Die 4 U". Without missing a beat, they headed straight into another Prince song, "Baby, I'm a Star". It was a great way to start the show and made me forget all about the disaster that was Grand Buffet. The show was great, with the set leaning heavily on songs from the bands two newest albums. Much to my chagrin, but not to an excessive amount of surprise, the band did not play "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal" which they have been apparently playing on this tour. The other main, but minor, thing I notice about the show was that the set was more drum machine-heavy than previous shows I had seen. Some of their best songs feature the drum machine, but in a live setting, live drums add a layer of immediacy that is both welcome and flattering to the band's sound.

Todd of IShootShows has some OUTSTANDING (as usual) pictures of the show up.

I guess this review didn't end up being that brief, after all.

Additionally, I have mp3's of the two Prince covers from that night below.

MP3's:
Of Montreal - I Would Die 4 U (live Prince cover)
Of Montreal - Baby, I'm A Star (live Prince cover)

BONUS

The Main Drag's cover of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" has absolutely no right to be as good as it is. Seriously, none at all. Thanks to cokemachineglow.

The Main Drag - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem)

Double Bonus:
In Which I Belatedy and Briefly Review The Black Angels Show I Saw A Few Weeks Ago

So I went down to San Antonio two weeks ago to go to the Big XII championship football game. Yeah. That went well.

Anyway, flights to SA were around $1200, so a friend and I flew through Dallas, which worked out well for me since my parents live there and I saved about a thousand dollars. On that Friday night, we went out to eat sushi at Blue Fish on Lower Greenville, which was, incidentally, great. As we left the restaurant around 10:30, we noticed that The Black Angels were playing at The Granada Theater, which was directly across the street. Telling my parents that we would cab it home later, we let them be on their way and headed over to the show. Very unexpected.

The Strange Boys were opening and were very... 60's. They were good, but their set only really needed to be about 15-20 minutes long. The Black Angels, on the other hand, were great. A band that plays the sort of music that they play has to be tight, and they were certainly tight. Unfortunately, we had to duck out a bit early due to a 6 am wake-up call before the four and a half hour drive down to San Antonio.

I will see them again.

That review was actually brief.

A Very Merry Christmas Spektacula!

2007-12-19T08:08:00.000-06:00

This weekend, there's a whole lotta Christmas going on at Off Broadway, as Tomko Bomb Co. presents the 3rd annual installment of A Very Merry Christmas Spectacular this December 21st and 22nd. Featuring four bands each night and the visual artistry of Columbia, MO's VIDEOLOGY, the full weekend's lineup looks like this:

Friday, December 21st:
The Bureau
The Hibernauts
Witch's Hat (Columbia, MO)
The Makeshift Gentlemen
& VIDEOLOGY

Saturday, December 22nd:
So Many Dynamos
Gentleman Auction House
Light Pollution (Dekalb, IL)
Laite
& VIDEOLOGY

Be sure to get there early, as last year's AVMCS was named by Spin Magazine as one of the three things that you MUST do in St. Louis in December.

A new feature to be included in this year's event is VIDEOLOGY from Columbia, MO, who in one form or another has worked with The Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, Elliot Smith, The Polyphonic Spree, Pavement, etc. VIDEOLOGY will be adding a unique visual layer to AVMCS by surrounding Off Broadway with four giant video screens to provide visualizations for all of the bands and to VJ in between the sets.

Both nights will start promptly at 9:00pm and are 18 and up shows. Tickets
can be purchased online at www.offbroadwaystl.com and at the door for $7.

MP3s:
The Hibernauts - Into the Storm/Out to the Sea
Witch's Hat - Bomb Squad
So Many Dynamos - In Every Direction
Gentleman Auction House - Your Days and Our Nights

New St. Louis Shows Announced

2007-12-18T07:12:00.000-06:00

A to Z is reporting shows this spring from Drive-by Truckers, Dan Deacon, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, among many others. Check out the link to find out more.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-12-17T12:44:00.000-06:00

This week's Mystery Mix is a Christmas Mix, of course (Christmastery Mix?).

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 23 - The Christmas Mix

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 22

1. The Lodger - Watching
2. Riddle of Steel - Quiet Now
3. Sunparlour Players - Dyin' Today
4. Destroyer - Foam Hands
5. Iron & Wine - White Tooth Man
6. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Keep On Looking (Kenny Dope Remix)
7. Lacrosse - Sunshiner
8. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great

Fiery Furnaces

2007-12-13T08:02:00.000-06:00

Here is some footage of the Fiery Furnaces at The Paradiso in Amsterdam. You can see the whole concert at Fabchannel.com.

Update and Stuff

2007-12-10T20:49:00.000-06:00

I've got a couple things to let you know about...

First, I've got a bit makeover for the blog coming up in the New Year, as it's been over two years with the same layout. That and I don't know how to use a computer or the Interweb. Before that, though, you can expect to see my and others' "Best of..." lists for 2007. Joe already has his lists up over at Music Sucks. Check it out.

I will also be starting up the radio show again in February on KWUR. It looks to be on Tuesday nights and will focus on Local St. Louis music. I've got big plans for it. Speaking of Radio, every morning I wake up to the sweet sounds of KDHX. My favorite two morning shows have always been Darren Snow's Rocket 88 on Monday mornings and Cat Pick's Emotional Rescue on Thursday mornings.

Well, a few weeks ago, my radio work me up to the sounds of Mudhoney's cover of The Dicks' cult classic "Dicks Hate the Police"... It's a song I love but not one I expect to hear on Rocket 88, though. To make a long story short, it turns out that the KDHX morning lineup got a little bit of a rearrangement due to Cat Pick's retirement from the radio station. It's a shame, but she deserves some time off after serving the public good for so long. Rocket 88 moved to Thursday mornings and a new show, Green Eggs and Sam. Sam's playlists are kind of all over the place, but his show is a great addition to the KDHX mornings.

And I finally got to listen to Annie Zaleski's new(ish) show, International Pop Overthrow, on KDHX the other day. Being that it is on Mondays from 12-2 p.m., it's kind of tough for me to listen to while at work. If you are a fan of the music I feature on this blog or are familiar with her taste through her writing on A to Z, you will love her show.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-12-10T13:54:00.000-06:00

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 22

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 21

1. The Hives - Hey Little World
2. Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
3. The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - I Never Thought I Could Feel This Way For A Boy
4. The Mohawk Lodge - Everybody's on Fire
5. Luna - Straight Up
6. Names & Titles - Already Know
7. Sun Kil Moon - Neverending Math Equation
8. Rademacher - Stunts
9. M83 - Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun

Explosions in the Sky at The Pageant

2007-12-08T11:32:00.000-06:00

HOLE LEE SHIT NUT, A to Z is reporting that Explosions in the Sky have confirmed a show at The Pageant. No details, but check in with A to Z for updates. Is it just me, or does that seem like an outrageously large venue for a band that, by all accounts, has no track record in St. Louis and still, for all of their awesomeness, exists on the periphery of the popular music landscape? As far as I'm aware, they have not played a show in St. Louis since all of their big Friday Night Lights exposure. I would think Off Broadway would be way more appropriate....

...or maybe they're opening for another band, which would be pretty cool since any band willing to have them open is bound to be pretty cool.

MP3s:
Explosions in the Sky - Welcome, Ghosts
Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand in Mine
Explosions in the Sky - A Song For Our Fathers

Explosions in the Sky - "The Birth and Death of The Day" (live):

Explosions in the Sky - "Great Death" (live):

Explosions in the Sky - "First Breath After Coma" (live):

Explosions in the Sky - "The Only Moment We Were Alone" (live):

Explosions in the Sky - "Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean" (live):

I Am DJing at The Royale Tomorrow Night

2007-12-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

I will be spinning music from 6 - 10 p.m. at the finest Public House on Kingshighway, The Royale. Dividing By Zero partner in crime, AJS, will spinning from 10 p.m. until close. It'll be a full night of Dividing By Zero. Oh yes I did.

Click here for directions.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-12-03T23:31:00.000-06:00

Well, I've made it through 20 Mystery Mixes, which is kind of crazy to me, considering how ADD I am. My idea all along was to never repeat an artist in order to keep things interesting and to prevent me from settling into my musical comfort zones. This strategy has worked well; through 20 weeks, I have featured 165 songs by 164 DIFFERENT BANDS (!)... I accidentally repeated Wilco once. But after five months, I think it's OK for me to loosen up this rule. As anyone who has followed these mixes knows, I follow a rough pattern in putting the mixes together -- the first couple songs are spanking new songs, in the middle I will feature some older, perhaps "classic" songs and I will usually end with a relatively modern (but not always) long song. The first reason for this change in policy is winter time is a slow time for new music, so I would really be stretching to include new songs that are good or that I like. Second, some of the bands that I used for the "older songs" are now releasing new material and I would hate to not include some great new songs because I had previously included a song by that band.

Not that any of you care about all of this, so, here's Vol. 21:

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 21

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 20:

1. The Little Penguins - Say It Once
2. Stars - The Ghost of Genova Heights
3. The Finns - Superstar Suicide
4. The Livers - Sinking Feeling
5. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I'm Loving the Street
6. Mike Watt - I'm Burning For You
7. Shame Club - I Ain't Surprised
8. The Dismemberment Plan - The Ice of Boston
9. Battles - Tonto

Victoria CD Release Show

2007-11-30T14:57:00.000-06:00

DBZ contributor AJS checks in with the following:

This Saturday night (December 1st) at the Bluebird, St. Louis trio Victoria will put its garage rock frenzy on full display at the band's CD release party, which also features The Hibernauts, Jumbling Towers and Berlin Whale. Victoria has developed a reputation for putting on high-energy stage shows, and on Saturday they'll be releasing their first EP, a 7-song disc that features several of the tracks they've been playing at recent shows, including "Holy Roller Derby".

Here's a video for "Holy Roller Derby"

Check out Victoria onstage at Off Broadway:

Check out their recent interview with the RFT here.

Riddle of Steel CD Release Show

2007-11-29T22:32:00.000-06:00

St. Louis' very own and very-rocking Riddle of Steel is celebrating the release of their third full-length album, 1985, with a show at The Bluebird tomorrow night. Also on the bill will be faux-metal-gods Thor Axe. 1985 gets quite a bad rap for being a horrible year or music (see: Phil Collins' No Jacket Required, Paul Young's The Secret Of Association, DeBarge's Rhythm of the Night, Kiss' Asylum, Journey's Dream After Dream), but by a whole different set of criteria, it was a GREAT year for music (The Replacements' Tim, Husker Du's Flip Your Wig, REM's Fables of the Reconstruction, Minutemen's 3-Way Tie (For Last), and Meat Puppets' Up On The Sun), so there's really no telling what the reference means, from a histori-musical perspective. One thing you can definitely count on, though, is that the album will R.O.C.K. (A-HA! That's it - it's in reference to John Cougar Mellencamp's 1985 hit Scarecrow; riddle solved). The music is quintessential, Riddle of Steel.

I saw them perform some of these new songs at The Bluebird a few months ago, and they are easily some of the best songs the band has penned yet, even if the song titles do make you suspect that they've been hanging out with Minus the Bear a little too much ("Who's the Fella Owns This Shithole?", "This Van Burns Love"). I have included an mp3 of one of the new songs, "Quiet Now", below.

Read a great interview that Annie Z did with the band for The Riverfront Times here.

MP3s:
Riddle of Steel - Quiet Now
Riddle of Steel - Ass Kicker #1

Here are some live videos of Riddle of Steel performing some of the new songs:

Riddle of Steel - "Quiet Now" (live):

Riddle of Steel - "Who's the Fellow Owns This Shithole?" (live):

Riddle of Steel - "This Van Burns Love" (live):

Riddle of Steel - "Loose Talk" (live):

...and here's an old one for good measure:

Riddle of Steel - "Our Guitars Are Haunted" (live):

The Cult at The Pageant Tonight

2007-11-29T13:20:00.000-06:00

Please, please, please, for the love of Ian Astbury, do not forget to go to The Cult show at The Pageant tonight.

The Cult - "Fire Woman":

The Cult - "Edie (Ciao Baby)":

The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary":

The Cult - "Wild Flower":

The Cult - "Rain":

Built to Spill at The Pageant

2007-11-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

A to Z is reporting that Built to Spill will be playing at The Pageant on March 15th. Count me in.

Here's some fun Built to Spill footage (with an encore posting of the Over-Rock guy at the bottom of the post):

Built to Spill on Pancake Mountain:

Built to Spill - "Kicked It In The Sun" (live):

Built to Spill - "Conventional Wisdom" (live):

Built to Spill - "Carry the Zero" (live):

Doug Martsch - "I Would Hurt A Fly" (live and featuring the Over-Rock Guy!):

Every Now and Then...

2007-11-28T20:42:00.000-06:00

...you just need some Iron Maiden:

Iron Maiden - "Run to the Hills":

Iron Maiden - "Number of the Beast"

This Is American Music - A Rock & Roll Revue

2007-11-28T07:50:00.000-06:00

There's a great FREE show this weekend at The Billiken Club, being billed as “This Is American Music - A Rock & Roll Revue” featuring The Drams, Two Cow Garage, Grand Champeen, and Glossary. All the bands will be playing each other's songs and rotating members throughout the night. All four bands put on a great show, and it's free, so it'll be hard to find a reason not to go. If I wasn't going to San Antonio this weekend, I would most definitely be there.

MP3's:
Two Cow Garage - Should've California
Grand Champeen - One and Only
Grand Champeen - Threw A Fit

Two Cow Garage - "Ohio" (live CSNY cover, at Off Broadway):

Two Cow Garage - "Camo Jacket" (live at Off Broadway):

The Drams - "Unhinged" (live):

Glossary - "Shout It From The Rooftops" (live):

Grand Champeen - "Miss Out" (live):

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-11-26T07:38:00.000-06:00

I hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving weekend. I know I did... Mizzou is #1 for at least a week (what do the coaches know anyway?), so that is pretty amazing for us long-suffering Tigers fans.

It's another Monday, which means it's time for another Mystery Mix. I can't believe I made it to #20 on these Mystery Mixes; thanks to everyone who downloads them every week and thank you for listenign and providing feedback.

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 20

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 19

1. Cut Off Your Hands - Expectations
2. Pela - Lost to the Lonesome
3. OMD - Enola Gay
4. Yeasayer - 2080
5. Edwin Birdsong - Cola Bottle Baby
6. Bears - Wait and See
7. Luna - Freakin' and Peakin'
8. Scala Choir - I Touch Myself
9. The Potomac Accord - A Quiet White Cut By The Longest Blue Shadows

Delta Spirit at The Bluebird

2007-11-24T08:14:00.000-06:00

Dividing By Zero compatiriot, AJS, checks in with this post about a great show at The Bluebird tonight:

Southern California indie/folk rockers Delta Spirit are coming through St. Louis for a fantastic show tonight, headlining The Bluebird (that's Saturday, November 24). Fresh off playing several sold-out East Coast tour dates in support of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Delta Spirit is currently touring in support of its excellent new release, Ode to Sunshine. The band has gained momentum this year behind an impressive touring schedule, which in addition to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, featured spots alongside The Cold War Kids, Dr. Dog and Tokyo Police Club.

The Bureau will open the show, along with the talented kids of Say Panther and The Ghost in the Forest.

MP's:
Delta Spirit - Gimme Some Motivation
Delta Spirit - Streetwalker

Check out this SWEET footage of Delta Spirit on stage with The Cold War Kids, doing a chaotic version of "Saint John":

Check out Delta Spirit doing a live version of "Trashcan", a standout track from Ode to Sunshine

-- by AJS. ajs63101@gmail.com, www.myspace.com/ajs63101

Give Thanks for the Rock

2007-11-22T13:17:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for something to do tonight, after you've digested all of you food and the football is over (assuming you don't have the NFL network), head out to 2 Cents Plain to catch 7 Shot Sceamers, Bunnygrunt, Names & Titles and Quief Quota (here we come, radio!).

MP3s:
Names & Titles - Already Know
Names & Titles - Introducing Names & Titles

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2007-11-22T10:28:00.000-06:00

The Walkmen at The Duck Room

2007-11-20T17:30:00.000-06:00

The Walkmen are playing at The Duck Room on January 21 with White Rabbits, who have played a couple well-received shows in St. Louis over the past month or two. The last time The Walkmen played here, it was at The Gargoyle, so it will be nice to see them in the hops- and barley-friendly environs of The Duck Room. Get your tickets early, because this is going to be a great show.

Here's the video of what is easily one of my favorite songs of the last five years: The Walkmen's "The Rat":

MP3:
The Walkmen - Little House of Savages

Of Montreal at The Pageant tonight

2007-11-19T20:04:00.000-06:00

I am heading up to The Pageant to catch Of Montreal in just a moment.

Here are some clips of the various covers they are known for playing live:

Of Montreal - "Crazy":

Of Montreal - "Starman":

Of Montreal - "Suffragette City":

Of Monreal - "Harvest Moon":

Of Montreal - "Fuck Away the Pain" (somehow Of Montreal covering Peaches makes perfect sense):

Of Montreal - "You Keep Me Hanging On" (partial):

Of Montreal - "Final Countdown" (partial):

Also, I found out that Modest Mouse played "Trailer Trash" AND "Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset" in Coumbia, MO, the night after their show in St. Louis.

And I heard Neil Young busted out "Cortez the Killer" at his show at The Fox last night in what was otherwise an apparently great show.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-11-19T11:19:00.000-06:00

Here is the latest:

MYSTERY MIX, Vol. 19

And here is last week's playlist:

Vol. 18

1. Dolour - Naive
2. The Voom Blooms - Nine Ships
3. Low - Always Fade
4. Golden Bear - Galaxy Queen
5. The Bar-Kays - Soul Finger
6. Redd Kross - White Trash
7. Uncle Tupelo - D. Boon
8. Do Make Say Think - In Mind
9. The Beta Band - Dry The Rain

My Belated Review of Battles and Caribou at The Metro

2007-11-17T11:44:00.000-06:00

I was in Chicago two weeks ago for work and caught Battles, Caribou, Born Ruffians and White Williams at The Metro. The show was unique in that the Battles/White Williams tour and the Caribou/Born Ruffians tours just happened to be coming through Chicago at the same time and they just doubled up the bill. It was sold out. Lots of hipsters.

Unfortunately, we missed White Williams since the friend who had tickets at will call was late getting there from work, so we sat at whatever bar that is next to The Metro for a few beers untill he showed up. We walked into The Metro right as Born Ruffians started. A very young trio, I thought they were great. Sharp, punchy pop songs that rip off the weirder parts of Pixies. In fact the singer's yelp was a little TOO similar to Frank Black's sometimes, but I really liked them. The drummer was great, pounding aggressive rhythms over these pop songs, starting the overriding theme of the night: incredible and conspicuous drumming.

Caribou was next. I guess I didn't realize how shoegazey they were until I saw them live. They were good, but really just didn't do it for me. They played way too long and I was bored of them after about the 4th song. I think my biggest problem with them was the singing. If they never sang or opened their mouths, I would have liked the set a lot more... Instrumentally they were great, even if the most musically interesting moments were created by the laptop computer that overlayed their whole set with beats, noises and samples. I definitely preferred the more electronically-influenced songs. Overall, as I was watching their set, I felt like it should have been compelling, but it wasn't, it was just boring.

Battles were up next, and holy jesus, they were great live. So Radiohead opened up their new album with a song in five; la-di-freaking-da. The rhythms and counter-rhythms and odd times signatures all collided with each other in oddly perfect unison. Every review I've read of Battles refers to them as mathy or otherwise references their supposed mathiness. Kids, this is just jazz in a new outfit, and it looks and feels so good. I had listened to a grand total of about two Battles songs before this show, but that didn't make a damn bit of difference, as I was engaged, entertained and amazed by every second of their set.

Pitchfork has pictures of the show HERE, which is good, since I forgot to bring my camera.