Drawing from Music

As Hiatus Continues...Enjoy Another Mix..

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:34:00 +0000

Hey All...As I continue to determine the next steps of this lowly artist's creative outlet and ventures in the music world I leave you with another Mixtape. It has been a busy yet great summer thus far and with the autumn like weather hopefully creeping up soon and all the kiddies are returning to their halls of education, I cant help but reminisce of the array of emotions that were always attached to this time of the year. Anyway, I will keep you posted on my progress and again...please follow me on twitter @drawingfromusic as I regularly tweet my contributions to The Music Slut, Brooklyn Vegan and of course Radio Free Chicago...Enjoy guys and see ya soon..

Back to School Mix..August Already??

1. E Is for Estranged - Owen Pallett

2.Runaway - The National

3.I Want a House - Twin Sister

4. Wet Cement - Morning Benders

5.Nothing Like You - Frightened Rabbit

6. Salt In The Wound - Delta Spirit

7.Taxi Cab - Vampire Weekend

8. Dirty Cartoons - Menomena

9. I'll Never Leave You - Rogue Wave

10. Perch Patchwork - Maps & Atlases

11.Nobody Gets Me But You - Spoon

12. You Can Keep Me Runnin' Around - Suckers

13. Broken Horse - Freelance Whales

14. Cubism Dream (Daytrotter Version) - The Local Natives

15. Someone's Missing 2:30 MGMT

16. When I'm With You 2:58 Best Coast

17. Gone - Tokyo Police Club

18. Better Times - Beach House

19.Modern Man - Arcade Fire

20.Finish Line - Fanfarlo

21.Down River - The Temper Trap

22. I Only Wear Blue - Dr. Dog

23. Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Chhhanges..Mix of May:It's Summertime!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:03:00 +0000

As this summer marks the one year anniversary for Drawing From Music, the daily blog will be taking a break for the summer months. I have recently had the opportunity to begin contributing work to the music site, Indie Rock Reviews based out of Seattle,WA; which you will see a bigger presence of my contributions in these upcoming months as we finalize our plans for festival coverage. I will also be doing some work with Chicago's local edition of The A.V. Club. Never fear though, Drawing From Music isn't going anywhere, this summer is the perfect time to make some changes to the site's format and return to my original concept of focusing on the discourse between visual art and music. To hold you over while these transitions occur, I put together a nice summer mix of songs that exude the sunniness of the summer months while touching upon the emotional duress that unfortunately makes it's presence known. Regardless where I'm writing you can follow me on twitter @drawingfromusic; I hope everyone enjoys their summer...I guarantee you will enjoy what's to come. Enjoy the music...

Mix of May: It's Summertime

1. Solitary Gun-Rogue Wave

2. Dirty Thing-Telekinesis

3. The Arrangement-Beach House

4. Conversation 16-The National

5. Shadow People-Dr Dog

6. Sun Hands-Local Natives

7. A Different City-Modest Mouse

8. Beetles-Warpaint

9. Sailing to Nowhere-Broken Bells

10. The Loneliness and the Scream-Frightened Rabbit

11. One Last-Avi Buffalo

12. Riot Rhythm-Sleigh Bells

13. Stitches-The Morning Benders

14. Never See Me Again-The Vivian Girls

15. Got Nuffin-Spoon

16. Chase Scene-Broken Social Scene

17. Older-Band of Horses

18. A Mind I Knew-Suckers

19. Wandering Song-Kittens Ablaze

20. Pearls-The Union Line

21. Starring-Freelance Whales

22. Om Nashi Me-Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

23. Slow Jabroni-Surfer Blood

24. People, Turn Around-Delta Spirit

This Week in Shows: Local Natives Yeah!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:50:00 +0000

I cant think of a better way to get excited about Friday's show than this great video by the boys of Silver Lake for their single, "World News". The band will be at Schuba's Tavern on Friday for a double header with openers, Suckers setting the tone for both sold out performances. It's the perfect match of East Coast/West Coast upcoming buzz bands, I will be shooting STAL ( Scene Through A Lens) sessions of both bands throughout the day for Indie Rock Reviews. The week begins at sister venue, Lincoln Hall where Freelance Whales return to Chicago for what seems their monthly visit opening for the Shout Out Louds. The former Three Penny Space, will be hosting an evening of film Tuesday with the double feature of Wes Anderson classics, Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums. Saturday is a toss up evening as one could return to LH for Plants and Animals or over to the Empty Bottle for Greg Laswell

Freelance Whales /Shout Out Louds

Local Natives /Suckers

Greg Laswell

Plants and Animals

Coachella Set Times and Chicago's Record Store Day Festivities

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:23:00 +0000

The festivities commenced a little over an hour and a half ago, as many of folks flocked to the deserts of Indio, CA for this year's Coachella Festival. Unfortunately some acts (Frightened Rabbit, The Cribs) have been forced to cancel their performances due to the airborne toxicity from the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Fingers crossed these cancellations are kept to a minimum; also as Record Store Day has once again fallen on the same weekend as Coachella, the fine people of Zia Records will have a record store onsite. A bundle of artists will be stopping by for signings...On that note, in Chicago Permanent Records will have a free grab bag while supplies last and will conduct their annual Flaming Lips' Zaireeka Boombox Experiment. Reckless Records will host live performances from local acts at all three locations. And finally just past the edge of the city, Rogue Wave will be at Rolling Stone Records for a signing at 11:30. Pitchfork has been ever so kind to list out the endless amount of releases one could expect when making their way through the record store tomorrow. For those wanting to pretend they're in the desert Coachella's set times are listed here.

A Grand Introduction of Lawrence Arabia-Lincoln Hall, Chicago, 4.7.10

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:39:00 +0000

With much intrigue, I arrive early to catch the opener New Zealander, Lawrence Arabia. The stage is filled with five bearded men playing in a gritty bluesy rock fashion, harmonizing and complimenting Lawrence's tender and warm hearted vocals. Psychedelic black lights flash as the guys shudder around playing with intensity a full-bodied guitar rock. His lyrics a personal recounting of experiences pleasant and forgettable maneuvering the set's overall tonality through an array of emotions varying from jovial, sentimental and bitterly nostalgic. Romanticism gushes from stage in the grand caribbeanesque “Aukland CBD Part 2”, as Lawrence smoothly croons the crowd of former love. He cynically notes another dream related song, softly singing in a Buddy Holly fashion slowly unraveling his adolescent fantasies.

His prime ministers compliments him in harmonic style returning to a higher tempo with a beachy melody as smoke rises and the tambourine clatters. The band playfully jests with the venue's fog machine controller, beckoning a spray then quickly proclaiming too much. There is an overall pleasant way of their sound, familiarly blending past eras in a poppy singalong aesthetic as though offspring of Sgt. Pepper. His music an orchestral retelling of lost love letters of life leaving a certain Joie de Vivre in the air. Thanking the crowd and Fanfarlo once more before singing their final melody; a playful song of the pleasantries surrounding a beach environ. Stalling with the echoing sonorous do das before ultimately deconstructing in a dissonance of sound and a fog of the smoke machine.

Lawrence Arabia

"Go Home and Make Lots of Babies" Beach House-Metro, Chicago 4.2.10

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 01:02:00 +0000

Arriving to another packed house, the floor full of smooshed together fans gazing at the unveiling of the sparkly tacky chic stage décor the Baltimore duo has orchestrated for the evening's performance. Victoria Legrand's smoky sultry vocals have resinated in my head since their previous Chicago stop in November. The band's third album, Teen Dream a far front runner for the year's top spot has not left the current playlist since it's initial release in January. I am excited to see how these songs have evolved given the fact, I had some insight on many of the songs interviewing the pair prior to the album's release. After a brief introduction from sponsorship the lights dim and the duo arrive on stage with their touring drummer, Daniel Franz. Alex Scally greets the crowd thanking everyone for having them back, easing into the their set. Victoria dressed in what seems to be her “showman's” blazer half dancing as she pounds down on the keyboard. Alex taps along on his foot pedal as they sing of life's melodramas and the assortment of emotions paired with it's grand spectrum while epic chords overdramatize the mundane in an iridescently beautiful manner.

Hunched over her keyboard, Victoria gracefully moans and vividly unravels each line echoing throughout the theater, hanging in everyone's hearts sinking in as she sways back and forth. With demanding force she punches the air fiercely singing each delicately delivered verse, before the catchy hook rings in and Legrande sidesteps left and right. Thanking opener Bachelorette, Alex quickly explains the next song an R rated version of something (unfortunately I didn't really understand the subject of his commentary). Each song an epic vignette, disjointed noises echo throughout as the light shines hauntingly upward into Victoria's face. Playing with such ease, she drinks water while punching each note, as the anfractuous sounds come from Alex's mystery box. He alternates from sitting to standing with a half dance in a cock-eyed manner blaring the jovial lighthearted “Used to Be”.
Legrand dances while lyrically beckoning for her love's return home, missing one's enchanted past. She takes a moment to comment on the crowd's emission of excitement before resuming play with the opening chords of “Zebra”; passionately singing over the cymbal crash. Wailing her heart stricken emotion into the air, face dimly lit and hidden behind hair; Victoria serenades her innermost desires in dramatic fashion as the fog creates an ambience of mystery. She comically announces before they're last song the evening a perfect night for the audience to make many babies with love in the air. Swaying hunched over her keyboard singing her romanticized ideas, ensuring care to her focused love ending the evening's set. The crowd roars with applause staring up at the stage as the sparkled confettied diamonds rotate. They quickly return, jesting with pleasantries and stalling before beginning “Real Love” with an a cappella onset before raising tempo with each pound on the keys. Keeping that lighthearted atmosphere the trio finish off with “10 Mile Stereo” Legrand's voice reverberating a sense of longing for a former love. She desirously beckons in her entrancing slow delivery as Alex's playful melody sprinkles a dose of enchantment . The smoke rises clouding the stage and the three hunched over their instruments holding their note in conclusion.

"I Just Want it to Sound Good for You" Spoon-Aragon Theatre, Chicago, 4.1.10

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:45:00 +0000

Arriving in the nick of time, speaker music blares overhead the seemingly packed house of the mix of fraternity and hipster crowd of all ages. Lights turn off and the crowd turn around half-heartedly still conversing until Brit Daniel arrives on stage alone with his acoustic guitar. He greets the crowd and begins singing the classic, “Me and the Bean” setting the tone for the evening's set; ultimately fiercely strumming similarly to a mariachi guitarist. Stage lights shine and Eric Harvey joins Daniel supporting his intimate rendition of “Mystery Zone” on keyboards. The remainder of the band arrive, drowned in red and the bang on the piano keys raise the tempo while Daniel's scratchy voice reverberates throughout the theatre. Jim Eno begins pounding on the drums and Britt ditches his jacket, quickly revving his guitar prompting annoying drunken hipsters to cleverly invent peculiar dances. The Austin quintet have mastered this musical form of retaining this chaotic quality while orchestrating these harmonious melodies, playing these complex riffs in a simplified manner. The spotlight returns to Harvey, with a ghostly echoing effect Daniel quickly spills out the lyrically vivid lines of “My Mathematical Mind”. Hunched over his guitar, at times kneeling down with the distortions of his guitar ringing out slowly submerging the crowd into this musical sea of nostalgic excitement and introspective beauty.

Totally immersed in their craft, the evening's setlist thus far reads like a greatest his album. Daniel and co. play as though they've orchestrated this concerto of masterful play; brilliantly transitioning the tempo and gracefully creating this cinematic ambience in their synchronization and focused play exhibiting this awesomeness on stage. With the alteration of color of lights, the set's mood mellows down. An alarming sound blares overhead, before the familiar notes of “Small Stakes” come from Harvey's keys. Listening to this song, I can't help think of the last time I saw Spoon live; it was eight years ago at the Abbey, an unforgettable evening. Since then, much finesse and maturity are apparent in the band's stage presence and eloquent play. I have come to expect faulty sound in the Aragon, but did not realize how troublesome it is for the artists, Britt has now noted again his annoyance. He announces the next a song by Wolf Parade, an endearing cover of “Modern World” played with a delicate Southwestern flair.
A meticulous production, Daniel narrates his intricate tales, full-bodied sound with a seamless quality transitioning the performance's tempo, unraveling in guitar play chaotically complimenting Daniel's composed delivery. The crowd begins dancing and moving along with the opening notes, “Don't You Evah”. He returns to his acoustic guitar, commenting once more of his inability to hear what they're playing; causing a sound person to confirm his inability. Fiercely strumming before Eno's drums kick in, Daniel serenades the audience; an array of instrumentation surround his unaffected raspy voice. A soft passionate exhalation of works packed with a toe-tapping rhythm. An explosive sound with an ear shattering drumroll, the jovial melody plays on ceasing with a chaotic spill of notes in the air, maracas continuing to rattle until, “Black Like Me” ultimately commences. A passionate recounting of experiences is what finishes this wonderful collection of the Austin quintet's catalogue of songs. Brit bows and exits the stage. Quickly returning, Daniel expresses gratefulness for the crowd's presence noting this their largest crowd in Chicago and modestly admitting a desire to sound good. The encore is filled with many Spoon classic tracks, crowd swaying back and forth; the music comes to an abrupt halt before Daniel revs his guitar back up as the spotlights flash throughout the crowd. He plays with intensity as the band waves good evening leaving the audience with the shuddering sound of distortion in the air.

Spoon

Vampire Weekend Return to Chicago: Riviera Theatre, 3.25.10

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:09:00 +0000

The young Brooklyn quartet run onto stage, seemingly more youthful in person than I expected; with high energy and excitement greeting the crowd and taking their places. They strap on their guitars and immediately begin with the newer track, “White Sky” the crowd goes in an uproar with elation. The set continues with “Holiday”the next track on their most recent release, Contra; playing with intensity in an upbeat tempo. Bassist, Chris Baio is dancing and jumping in place as Ezra Koening croons the crowd with his smoothly soft voice. Afterwards he casually greets the crowd, “Hello Chicago” he sings with this macho confidence, dancing around with his guitar. Koening has a “Jailhouse Rock” presence to his performance style, demanding attention as he serenades the audience with crowd favorite, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”. Keeping a playful manner with the audience, we are orchestrated to assist the band with the chorus; energy stays upbeat through performance as the crowd is ecstatic to sing along.

Quickly spitting out lyrics, Koening sings “California English” as the song breaks down to his bare strum on the guitar he shakes his hips and Christopher Tomson crashes in on his drums. The band continues raising the intensity and tempo; with a quick strum everyone on stage and in the crowd are jumping and moving their feet. The lights dim, Rostam Batmanglij takes a seat at his keyboards as the other three appear as though they are playing on a street corner with more classical instrumentation. The girls swoon, chandeliers hang above the stage and the mystery blonde(album cover) hangs as a backdrop, glowing overhead in an eerie fashion. Koening shakes his head as he reaches a high note, often on his toes, he points into the crowd. Taking a breather and “giving the audience a moment” checking everyone's status throughout; he flirts with his fans, smirking with confidence and beckoning all of us to bounce along. Continuing to brag about the number of stops through Chicago thus far, he reminds those of the warm temperatures from last year's Lollapalooza, once again requesting aide with the chorus. With strobe lights flashing, there is a rhythmic synchronization between the drums and Koening's fast guitar strum emulate the heart thudding sound of a machine gun reverberating throughout the old theatre weaving into a mixture of African inspired beats and chants. Each member has a unique approach to dancing about stage as they strum along with the song. The sea of teenagers sway back and forth in awe, singing along and pounding their fists in the air with the chorus. I think the appeal has a lot to do with the combination of these jovial melodies and this sense of adolescence in the lyrics as the Brooklyn quartet retain this playful disposition on adult hood as they dance and sing these sugar-dipped tunes on stage.
After a brief break, the band returns to stage thanking the crowd and requesting one more sing-along chorus. As Ezra utters the words, “In the summer...” the theatre explodes with excitement as everyone sings the verses to “Horchata”. Tomson continues to pound on the drums in a pseudo tribal/marching band fashion. Koening playfully teases the crowd to keep up the intensity for the next song, commenting on the early hour. He challenges everyone to move their body for the next two minutes, they begin playing “Mansard Roof” at a fast pace. Stomping his feet and speedily strumming his guitar, getting alarmingly close to the outreached hands of the crowd. Canvas Nikes are the new blue suede shoes, as the crooning New Yorker shakes his hips; he bids farewell pointing in the air and singing with a suave machismo. The drums pounding hard, lights flashing, crowd jumping...strums and an explosion of cheers.

Vampire Weekend

SXSW: Day One-Warpaint Rules!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:57:00 +0000

My SXSW festivities (first-time) began with an overwhelming mixture of excitement, confusion and a mild sense of nervousness unfamiliar of what to expect but confident regardless, I would have the opportunity to see some exciting acts and reunite with familiar faces I have seen in the past. Getting my bearings of Sixth St and laying out the land for Wednesday's day parties, I quickly headed towards The Mohawk for my first show of the week( The Austinist's day party). Taking pause to realize the crowds surrounding a parking garage were enjoying an AOL/Spinner pop up show featuring Broken Bells. The line wasn't too bad quickly squeezing through the packed bar; I am staring up at portraits of bearded men lining the bar (an obvious highlight of the bar, that had similarly bearded men slinging drinks to patrons). The crowd from the previous act's ambient environ depart the tiny room as the Silver Lake, CA quartet known as Warpaint set up for their performance. Definitely a band high on my priority list to see while in Austin, their debut EP, Exquisite Corpse has been on repeat since learning about them in early November. An album, which also made the year's top EP list.

Warpaint-The Mohawk: Austinist Day Party

Without note, music begins with a heavy thumping bass line and a delicately seductive delivery of verse creating a happy, yet funky harmony that has the crowded room dancing along. Almost in a meditative trance the girls establish an aura of ease and comfort. Genuinely one with their instrumentation there is a natural flow and transition in their song that captivates the audience as they seamlessly play into the popular single, “Stars”. Witnessing their music live is much more magical and ethereal than what's recorded as the quartet noticeably have a tendency to allow the music to control the length of play. Vocals are shared between guitarists Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman; there is a warm contrast in style of delivery that unite in verse in a harmonious fashion. With a concentrated focus on their music the girls continue to play on, keeping an upbeat tempo throughout the set; bassist, Jenny Lee Lindberg spends most of the performance swaying and bouncing in the direction of the drummer, Stella Mozgawa. Stripping away the intensity to expose a gentle stroke on the guitar and a low intangible melody; complimenting the vocals of Kokal's (similar to Portishead's Beth Gibbons) serene and sultry sound with Wayman's (much like Karen O) delivery that has a sharper more punchier insistence. Finally greeting the crowd with a jovial, “how y'all doin'?” the girls take a deep breath noting two more songs and introduce “Elephants”. A song that has a soft onset and ultimately breaks down into a chaotic high tempo congruous explosion of sound. With an array of layers in their music which overlap upon each other transitioning back and forth from soft to heavy, it's nearly a system overload of music chewy center (almost something enjoyed more privately). Already with a yearning desire for more I quickly determine my next opportunity to enjoy the harmonic amalgamation of this Silver Lake, quartet.

Freelance Whales-Galaxy Room: Paste Party

I quickly bolt over to the Galaxy Room on Sixth, where the Freelance Whales are tuning up and a good sized crowd eagerly wait for their set to commence. Sunlight dims through the windows and Paste creator, Josh Jackson arrives on stage to express his excitement and honor to introduce, Freelance Whales. With a pluck at the banjo and orchestrated howls in the air, the set begins with “Generator First Floor” the opening track on their soon to be released debut, Weathervanes. There's a magical sensation that exudes from stage as the quintet from Queens,NY sings in an off-tune synchronized fashion and this rural fantastical tale unravels with each word Judah Dadone sings in verse. Quirky noises and orchestrated melodies ring from the rest of the band as Chuck Criss tings away on the glockenspiel. After a short greeting, Dadone continues with the set punching away at the keyboard. The group exhibits passion and emotion with each breath; resuming their high intensity performance, with second track, “Hannah”. They briefly mention their own excitement to be playing, this is Freelance Whales debut at SXSW. Continuing to play, alternating in tempo with intensive energy and animation on the arsenal of instruments arranged on stage; painting colorful imagery of a farmhouse love story that transitions through a bittersweet narrative emitting a combination of happy and sad simultaneously. Guitar distortion reverberates from Kevin Read's bow as Doris Cellar sways the harmonium back and forth. There's an introverted geek fashion of dance occurring on stage as this quintet continues this sweet saga, singing along eyes closed with affection. The set concludes with the happy sing along “Generator Second Floor” with plenty of the crowd dancing and assisting in vocals. Judah shakes with emotion, as the contrasting beauty of his voice with Cellar's exhibit this romantic magical affection.

Acrylics-Peckerheads: The Music Slut Day Party

Making it inside as the band begins their first notes with Molly Shea singing lead as Travis Rosenburg and Jason Klauber playing along with two additional band members. Im immediately re submerged into this cinematic weaving of layered sounds and romanticized lyrics. Saying hello and comically beckoning the crowd to approach the stage, Jason smoothly bargains for a beer before the music returns. Having a more full-bodied sound with the additional instrumental support while retaining the endearing intimacy present in an old Western love story. Travis delicately brings in the next tune plucking the melody on a slide guitar, before the tempo explodes in a crash of drums with the song's chorus. Jason and Molly quickly dispensing each verse, singing towards a symbiotic bright future. Keeping a conversational connection with the audience, Jason continues to jokingly banter back and forth with the lone howler in the crowd. Ultimately he announces the next song, “Molly's Vertigo” pointing over to Molly introducing her, who bashfully says, “hi”. Contradictory to her shy disposition she sings with excitement and passion exploding with personality on stage deciphering her thoughts and feelings through the song's subject-matter. After quickly swapping guitars and requesting more acoustic, Jason begins strumming a newer song; a sweet love song nostalgic for 70s era duet. This afternoon's set comes to a conclusion with the EP's title track, “All of the Fire”; ending a strong performance for a crowd seemingly unknowing of expectation but in awe with an imminent enjoyment of a lyrically amazing young band.

Finally getting an opportunity to catch my breath and feed my blood sugar level, and returned to the Galaxy Room and patiently wait for Paste's headliner of the day, Frightened Rabbit. The crowd slowly trickles in and begins filling the once emptied room chattering with excitement of the first day's festivities listing the day's parties that topped each other's lists. Keeping patience as it becomes apparent the band's having issues with instruments quickly determining a resolution to make the afternoon's performance worthwhile.

Frightened Rabbit-Galaxy Room:Paste Party

The sun slightly sets through the window dimming the room and the band is ready for their set. Scott Hutchinson wearily greets the audience mentioning equipment malfunction (but more colorfully) explaining they have pieced something together to play with. Apparently affected instrumentation are no big problem as with the crash of Grant's drums the Scottish quintet play a seamless rendition of “The Modern Leper”. Scott asks of our well-being with an excited expression, having success with the makeshift instruments and finally moving onto “Swim Until You Can't See Land”. The crowd cheers and the band eases into the set spotlighting the new direction taken in their most recent release, The Winter of Mixed Drinks. The Scottish band's third album exhibits its evolution as a band slowly gelling as a more united force tackling ambiguous subject matter rather than Hutchinson's past heartbreaks. Dancing about stage, Scott blurts out in his lovable Scottish tongue his tale of new adventures. Still struggling with instrument difficulties, the issue is remedied with the crowd favorite “Old Old Fashioned” The set is turning out to be a happy marriage of previous album's pains and their newer songs which displays the growth that comes along with life lessons. “Living In Colour” another new song beckons for the crowd to clap along; Scott wails with intensity into the air. Seemingly limited with material given the situation, they finish the set with “Keep Yourself Warm”. The music strips down to his pain stricken voice shedding his misery before returning to the upbeat tempo,leaving the crowd roaring for more.

This Week in Shows: A Preview of Austin

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:06:00 +0000

Inspired from image by Sebastian Kim

With one week until I head down to the warm weather Austin has to offer; I can't help not getting excited for a nice preview of some of the bands making their trek to SXSW.

Wednesday, March 10: Turbo Fruits and Surfer Blood will be playing Schuba's Tavern

Thursday, March 11: We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Lonely Forest make their first visit to Lincoln Hall

Friday, March 12: (Above painted) Vivian Girls head over to the Subterranean.

Saturday, March 13: Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore will play Schuba's Tavern

Aside from final planning and packing this should be a fun yet busy week.

An Intimate Evening with Acrylics, Schuba's Tavern, Chicago,3.3.10

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:41:00 +0000

Tonight's show seems to be a well kept secret, the room is pretty spacious aside from the scattered local hipsters eager to check out the highly blogged about Acrylics. The Brooklyn, NY duo who are expanding to a full band;released their EP, All of the Fire with, Terrible Records in the Fall of 2009 are making their maiden voyage through the States in support. The noise and chatter of the audience cease as the initial notes of music commence, immediately a variety of harmonious tones blare from the stage ultimately deafening down to a pair of simple pleasant strums from the contrasting guitars. Molly Shea and Jason Klauber (joined on stage by Travis Rosenburg) , a hypnotizing pair of voices singing 70s influenced melodramatic pop music with a cinematic grandiose aesthetic. As the first song concludes, Jason expresses gratitude and introduces the band and their origin, noting how great it is to be in Chicago.

Cross breeding a variety of sounds and influences, its difficult to peg a specific classification of the trio's sound. A languid, gentle delivery of personal recounting swapped by the pair and complimented by contrasting guitar play (electric vs. acoustic) and a synth-pop accenting an upbeat, joyous chorus. After a brief miscue, the three quickly restart, "All of the Fire" an air of nervousness present but not affecting the band's pleasurable chemistry and personal enjoyment to share their tales and music. Aside from the minor mishaps from the venue's sound, an ingenious beauty exudes from the stage. After much of the trio's set, Molly finally speaks introducing the band's notable track "Molly's Vertigo." The song's lyrics paint an image of the past, surrounded by a bittersweet misery well beyond the years of the band. There is an introverted quality present, as the two expose each other's optimistic hope through their soul's aspirations and the dreamy melodies on their guitars. Thanking the audience once again, Jason introduces the set's final song, "counting sheep" an unreleased love song searching for a warm embrace for the night's end. A wonderfully warm lullaby to close the evening's performance. I am now more eager to see the band on my upcoming trip to SXSW, who will be playing 7 shows (including the first performance of the week's festivities).

Acrylics

Terrible Records

Atoms For Peace are Headed to Chicago???

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:38:00 +0000

Thom Yorke has declared an alternate moniker with which he would like to pursue his personal musical endeavors. What has now become his "other" band, Atoms For Peace will be making a tour through select US cities this Spring. Tickets for the Chicago stops go on sale, March 3.

04-05 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom *
04-06 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom *
04-08 Boston, MA - Citi Wang Theatre *
04-10 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom *
04-11 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom *
04-14 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre *
04-15 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre *
04-17 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl *
04-18 Indio, CA - Coachella

* with Flying Lotus

Dead Air Space

2010 Is Going to be Epic!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:41:00 +0000

It's been five loong years since the last time we heard something new from Broken Social Scene. If you have not heard by now, we will finally get our hands on a new album (Forgiveness Rock Record) from the Canadian bunch in May. Today, the band upped their ante with their first single, "World Sick" an epic reminder of a heart-warming sensation that overwhelms the body after a life altering experience with someone amazing of the opposite sex. Head to their website below to download the single. When you feel you cannot repeat anymore dust off the rest of their listening goodness an remind yourself of the greatness that is headed your way.

(update 3.5, Broken Social Scene will return to Chicago to kick off P4K on Friday, July 16.)

World Sick

Broken Social Scene

The Antlers Fuel my Excitement for Monday with a Visual Interpretation of "Bear"

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:33:00 +0000

When I first heard this track, Peter was releasing the album out of his apartment in Brooklyn. My imagination went crazy with a variety of visual ideas to the lyrics. Monday will mark the fourth time I've seen the guys live in less than a year's time and each experience uncovers another layer of emotion and beauty. The Antlers as a trio have truly transformed this isolated tale of misery into this invigorating vigil.

Pitchfork 2010 (First Round of Lineup Announced)

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:38:00 +0000

Above is the 2009 Jay Ryan Pitchfork poster

In Chicago, things within the music scene begin to get exciting when:

A: an anticipated band makes their way through town in support of a recently released album

B: Lineups and dates are announced for the upcoming Pitchfork Music Festival

C: All of the above, plus whatever else you could think of that doesn't pertain to this posting.

Anyway, Pitchfork has announced the first round of bands for this year's festival which includes each evening's headliners and few of the young and exciting bands who will make their way to Union Park, July 16-18. Modest Mouse will kick things off on Friday, with Raekwon and LCD Soundsystem on Saturday and the freshly reunited Pavement ending the festivities on Sunday. Also noted to perform on the festival's final day are Sleigh Bells, Here We Go Magic, Cass McCombs, Lightning Bolt and St. Vincent. Tickets are on sale today along with any supporting information not mentioned above at the festival's site.

Port O'Brien Makes it Out to Daytrotter

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:27:00 +0000

Cold and dreary with a high possibility of snow flurries is the perfect day to find that our Rock Island friends at Daytrotter have chosen Port O'Brien for the session of the day. Preparing to kick off their second tour supporting the third release, Threadbare; a more somber approach is apparent throughout the album making for an excellent soundtrack for a less noteworthy day. Anyway regardless of how your day is turning out, head over to Daytrotter for a stellar set of songs.

Port O'Brien

Hope For Haiti Now

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:08:00 +0000

Hollywood is holding their event tonight blanketing the tv channels with a hope to raise funds for those in Haiti dealing with the catastrophe from the recent earthquakes. Live performances will be available to be purchased on Itunes and you can always head over to the website and donate there. The possibilities are endless, in terms of options to contribute to the efforts in aiding the victims of this horrible tragedy. Stay tuned to future news to learn how Drawing From Music is contributing towards the cause. Until then follow the links below to keep up to date on the support or to give what you can.

Hope For Haiti Now

Itunes Album

Tomorrow Never Knows 2010 Day 1: Adam Green, Linoln Hall, 1.13.10

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:32:00 +0000

Arriving for the tail end of opener's The Dead Trees' set, whom from the audience's response were pleasing enough for requests for more music. It was quickly noted they would be returning to stage as Adam Green's band for the evening. Tonight's crowd is decent, but seeming to gradually trickle in for the opening evening of this year's Tomorrow Never Knows as Schuba's Tavern get a helping hand from their newest venue, Lincoln Hall. There is chatter all around and beverages are ordered and the room begins to fill up as The Dead Trees return to stage gearing up for the next performance. They begin quietly strumming the first chords and Adam creeps out from stage right, shirtless and donning a pilot's flight jacket with a beer bottle in hand. In a truly shagadelic fashion he begins jumping and dancing about stage, as he begins his lonely hearted crooning lyrics with a blank stare and drunken grin.

He greets the crowd in a warm friendly manner, peering out above the audience's heads exhibiting his inebriation. His stage persona continues to create new and innovative ways to dance along with his music, almost forgetting at times he was not alone on stage. Triumphantly announcing his renewed desire to return to touring jesting about some ridiculous reasoning behind his previous decision to reject touring, and a brief break he said he would rather not speak of. Adam casually jokes about world perspectives and his aspirations to still be performing a decade from now,wondering if the audience would still attend. Adam flails and jiggles about, belting out songs in his baritone lined octave while exasperation is exuded between verses through heavy breathing and slouching over. "Cant be witty, gotta be honest"was something Adam mentioned during one of his many comic reliefs throughout his set prior to his Jessica Simpson inspired melody and resonated as there is a certain honesty seen in his performance.

The music is stripped down, and Adam seemed to display himself on stage as opposed to some flashy light show. He bares his soul (or his chest..in this matter)singing softly of Jessica's fraudulent attempts to pursue a music career. Pouring water overhead, Adam partners up with his jacket shaking it about, gloatingly inventing alternate methods of shaking his body. Bringing his set to an end, he beseeches from the crowd the possibility of one crowd surf, who generously abide. A fitting action for a chorus he belches, " Baby's gonna be alright"; finally waving and walking off stage his jacket in hand.

As the New Year Continues to Reveal...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:34:00 +0000

We are only in the second week of 2010 and the anticipation of what excitement continues to be revealed for the year is shaping up to be a wonderful encore to the wonders of 2009. This week on Wednesday, Tomorrow Never Knows 2010 commences showcasing some the year's up & coming artists who have had many bloggers rattling away with eagerness. Many of the heavy hitter's shows are sold out but check with Schuba's Tavern as tickets are still available for others and many prize giveaways throughout the week. If that wasn't enough tour info continues to make waves as Pavement,Beach House, Passion Pit and Spoon all announce stops in the Windy City. At Npr's First Listen, Spoon's Tranference can be heard, M.I.A will release her third album this Summer and Dirty Projectors give away a free single.

Check out the venues' lineup below and join the week's festivities if you're in town and mark yoour calendars for the what's still to come this year.

Wednesday, January 13
Lincoln Hall: The Dead Trees, Adam Green, The Cribs

Thursday, January 14
Lincoln Hall: Gemini Club,Maps & Atlases, Solid Gold, Voxtrot
Schuba's Tavern: Lasers Fast & Shit, Bear in Heaven, Freelance Whales, Surfer Blood

Friday, January 15
Lincoln Hall: Shapers, Icy Demons, Atlas Sound
Schuba's Tavern: Only Children, Truman Peyote,The Hood Internet, Neon Indian

Saturday, January 16
Lincoln Hall: Julie Doiron, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Bowerbirds
Schuba's Tavern: Peter Wolf Crier, Sharon Van Etten, Owen Pallett

Sunday, January 17
Schuba's Tavern: Netherfriends, Pomegranates, Skybox, Clues

Looking ahead, Pavement is said to be headlining this year's Pitchfork Music Festival, both Passion Pit and Beach House on April 2. The evening prior Spoon will be performing at Aragon.

Rookie of the Year: Local Natives

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:56:00 +0000

With their long awaited debut album, Gorilla Manor officially releasing in the US on February 16; 2009 has been a helluva year for the quintet, Local Natives out of Silverlake, CA. First making waves with their insanely busy lineup at SXSW 09 and creating an ear popping buzz familiar to that of Vampire Weekend, who's previous year in DIY-101 made them the most talked about band in 2008. Much like the latter, Local Natives' music is ten times better than one could write or describe. Drawing a likeness to a range of bands from Fleet Foxes, Yeasayer and Rogue Wave; but not at all limited to those and at the same time so much more exuding excitement and an energetic explosion of originality when performing. Spending the majority of the year on tour, the band has made it's rounds nationwide and are slowly creeping through the UK and the rest of Europe.
At this point a nice selection of tracks from Gorilla Manor have been revealed either at live shows or online via Daytrotter or Myspace. I know the guys have been willing and excited to cross the Atlantic or tour barns within the Midwest to share their catalog of genre blending high-energy symphonies. Themes and subject matter varies throughout the selection of songs heard thus far, but many focus on the person, one molds themselves into as an adult and the nostalgia and childlike tendencies brought to surface as this new persona takes face. At times swapping out vocalist duties, it seems as though there is a true collaborative effort by these guys to share their tales on life. I definitely have a biased opinion, but feel its well justified when I say Local Natives have put forth the necessary effort to create a presence while exhibiting the staying power with an original direction in music. I have had the opportunity to see the band at the Bowery Ballroom and locally at Lincoln Hall, and am already anticipating seeing them more in 2010. Frenchkiss Records is releasing Gorilla Manor, February 16 in the US.

Local Natives-Myspace

Local Natives

Outta Sight

2009 Top 10 Music Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:08:00 +0000

Little by little it seems to me as though artists are making a strong effort to rejuvenate the extinct medium of music videos. I still feel a tinge of disappointment when MTV is mentioned, since their focus shifted to over dramatic reality stupidity. I found myself this year being pleasantly surprised and at times honestly mesmerized by much of the creativity exhibited in many of the videos that visualized the featured track. The following ten videos I feel really took the medium to the next level while at the same time retaining a certain level of nostalgia that made music videos so exciting growing up.

10. Swim Until You Can't See Land-Frightened Rabbit

9. Lust For Life-Girls

8. Ready, Able-Grizzly Bear

7. To Kingdom Come-Passion Pit

6. Stars-Warpaint

5. Heads Will Roll-Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4. Stillness In the Move-Dirty Projectors

3. Two-The Antlers

2. Grapevine Fires-Death Cab for Cutie

1. Kisses Over Babylon-Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Have Yourself A Merry Xmas

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:14:00 +0000

It is grey and rainy today, not what is usually expected in Chicago at this time of the year. I hope everyone out there has had a wonderful holiday season. I thought Bright Eyes' (Conor Oberst) version of this Christmas classic truly sums up the cozy yet cold feelings that accompany this season. There is a certain nostalgic sadness for me each year as the realization continues to set in, that there are different experiences and expectations with Christmas and being an adult.

Have Yourself A Merry Christmas

2009 Top 15 EPs

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:36:00 +0000

An EP (extended play) is defined as a record, cd or audio file that is larger than a single but not long enough to be a full length album. Sometimes bands remind their listeners of their presence with a teaser of what may come; other times an EP represents a chronicling of a creative period for the band. The origin of the EP is the 7 inch record and is a medium that became obsolete and was re popularized in the Punk era. Many of the EPs on this year's list are either an introduction to some new and exciting bands breaking into the music scene or are annual favorites exhibiting many of the creative experiments that were a result from a track that landed on a recently released album.

15. Washed Out-Life of Leisure EP
14. Warpaint Exquisite Corpse EP
13. Dum Dum Girls-Your Alone
12.The Pains of Being Pure at Heart-Higher Than the Stars
11. Beirut-March of the Zapotec/Realpeople Holland
10. No Age-Losing Feeling
9. Blitzen Trapper-Black River Killer
8. Aushua-Limbo EP
7. Animal Collective-Fall Be Kind EP
6. Modest Mouse-No One's First and You're Next
5. Moonface-Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums
4. Death Cab for Cutie-The Open Door EP
3. Andrew Bird-Fitz and the Dizzyspells
2. Bon Iver-Blood Bank
1. Dirty Projectors-Temecula Sunrise

2009 Top 25 Albums

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:17:00 +0000

With the year coming to an end in the next couple of weeks the daunting task began, to compile the albums that have had the most impact on my taste musically this year. Many of the following albums made an early effort and with countless revisits proved their worthiness of placement on the year end's list. Others took hours of debate and comparison to determine a deserving placement on the final tally. In contrast to other lists out there, many may disagree with my choices but its difficult to deny the importance each one of these albums have had in 2009; not to mention the restrained anticipation for future endeavors by the bands themselves. Without further ado....

25. Telekinesis-Telekinesis! 2009 has been the year of the resurgence of pop in a variety of formats. Telekinesis' self-titled debut with an exclamation was released in the first quarter of the year and had enough staying power to retain a position on the year end's list. Catching my attention almost immediately when the Chris Walla produced album initially peaked it's head on the Internet with a attention grasping power pop that has you humming along. With similar sounds to the producer's own band's (Death Cab for Cutie) earlier albums, Telekinesis' pulls at the heart strings with Michael Benjamin Lerner the one man band behind the moniker creating grounded music that has a relate able quality with its listeners. Lerner's lyrics are light and playful while at times addressing deeper issues, paint a canvas of nostalgic times and reflecting on his love life in an idealistic manner.

Telekinesis!

24. Fanfarlo-Reservoir/ Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros-Up From Below After much deliberation and having an akin to a variety of attributes in both of these albums I decided on a tie as each band has had a constant presence on my play list throughout the second half of the year. Fanfarlo are a London based Indie Pop band who can be included in the overwhelming abundance of band who utilized the strengths of classical instrumentation infused with the standard guitar,bass and drums. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are one of many emerging bands exploding out of Los Angeles, appearing as though reentering the grid of society from some love bathed commune of hippies. There is a large contrasting quality between the two bands as they both embrace their own version of the reinvented popularity of Pop music. Simon Balthazar, Swedish lead singer of Fanfarlo, creates a whimsical strain of words that are drenched in a symphonic explosion of harmony. Alex Ebert often serenades a true love as this commune band revives psychedelic retro indie folk with a supporting band that totals 11, whose live performances create a truly jovial kumbaya of hand claps and swaying back and forth; as the crowd is mesmerized by the band's endearing romanticism retelling their love story.

Resevoir

Up From Below

23. Port O'Brien-Threadbare The band's third album takes a departure from the previous narration of times as a fisherman. Lead singer, Van Pierzalowski noted in an interview, this was his first summer not spent on his father's fishing boat in Alaska. As the title, Threadbare addresses much of the tonality and themes within this album are tired and longingly reflective. It almost emulates the realities of life people have a tendency avoiding for a artificial facade. The band dealt with much misery during the year which has an overwhelmingly delicate presence in Cambria Goodwin's painful moans and Pierzalowski's piercing wales of the chorus. Threadbare is a must play when all you want to do is wallow in sadness and embrace the grey skies of winter.

Threadbare

22. Kid CuDi-Man on the Moon:The End of the Day A new era of hip-hop rap was introduced in August, as the Cleveland born rapper, Kid CuDi, brought a fresh style of rap to the limelight. CuDi's debut album is formatted as a narrative unraveling a tale of this fictional character which parallels an introspective exploration of his own perception along with his delusions of grandeur. He experiments with his rap style in sing/rhyme inter fusion while retaining a standard hip-hop sleaziness, pushing the envelope creatively while collaborating with artists from other musical genres. He was discovered by Kanye West and aided in much of the creative process of 808s & Heartbreak, writing a number of the songs as well. Man on the Moon...is a huge success where 808s failed comparatively, not finding a necessity for auto-tune CuDi's natural voice singing at times flows more naturally and ekes originality in a genre that has a tendency to sound over produced and mundane.

Man on the Moon:The End of the Day

21. Kittens Ablaze-The Monstrous Vanguard This year's CMJ festival introduced me to a number of talented and exciting bands who should have a larger presence in the music industry this upcoming year. Unsurprisingly from Brooklyn, as my theory of "something in the water" stays intact, comes Kittens Ablaze a sextet creating music one could describe as conceptual indie pop fusion rock. Implementing a string section along with a variety of alternative instruments a chaotic beauty grasps your attention and does not let go throughout their debut, The Monstrous Vanguard. Quite a feat to witness live, the music is layered and builds with intensity as Tim Spellman's lyrics illustrate a gloomier perspective on life.

The Monstrous Vanguard

20. Foreign Born-Person to Person Gaining earlier buzz from past tour mates, Grizzly Bear, who noted an excited anticipation for the release of Person to Person in July. The sophomore effort from the Los Angeles based band, furthers the experimental fusion of world music with a classic rock aesthetic of meticulously crafted guitar chords. Their music is the perfect soundtrack for an endless summer, a controlled explosion of sunshine layered in an Afro-pop fashion. Losing some of the harsh beauty present in, On the Wing Now but exhibiting an obvious maturity in their craft is unmistakable as transitions are much smoother almost like a seasoned traveler. Much benefit must come from Fool's Gold, the sister band most of Foreign Born members moonlight whom take on a more "Afro-Hebrew" tendency. Matt Popieluch, lead singer, describes his constant theme in his lyrics as "When interior struggles encounter and navigate physical landscapes."

Person to Person

19. Harlem Shakes-Technicolor Health Someone could find great difficulty if requested to best classify the music of Harlem Shakes. Technicolor Health, the debut and unfortunately final album(the band found its demise before the end of the year) is a collection of anthem sounding, toe-tapping charged songs.There is an odd familiarity to the lyrics creating a natural desire for the listener to sing along. Lexy Benaim's nasally delivery adds a colorful layer to the melancholic happy tone of the music. Technicolor Health was a first step in a positive direction showcasing creativity and pop excitement from a band that could have been great, unfortunately there will always be that nagging desire for more.

Technicolor Health

18. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson-Summer of Fear Much to the popular opinion, I found Robinson's second release a pleasant surprise and a wonderful companion album to a broken heart. Summer of Fear is an album that feels much like a love letter given when an undesired end is near and expression of feelings is a necessity. Robinson's Dylanesque delivery projects a soulfulness only truly felt at the core of each song as his scratchy wail unveils his beckoning desire for love. Each listen uncovers another layer of emotion any listener can associate with.

Summer of Fear

17. The Pain Being Pure at Heart-S/T With its abrupt beginning listeners are immediately drenched in a sound that would make the late John Hughes' ears dance with pleasure; as I am overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia reminiscing of films which crafted my childhood in the 80s. Their music marries the sounds of 80s pop tunes in a Belle & Sebastian style while retaining a high energy intensity that continues on a jovial path. The Pains successfully have reawakened a vintage form of Pop music that creates an air of excitement while singing about angst and emotional responses to life.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

16. We Were Promised Jetpacks-These Four Walls Their band name, We Were Promised Jetpacks, is inspired by a podcast from comedian Ricky Gervais. The Scottish quartet sing about getting past adolescence and dealing with adult decisions. Lead singer, Adam Thompson described the debut's title These Four Walls as to reference the home an adult is raised in and how its representation (family values,upbringing) alters with a grown up perspective. The band has found much success addressing heartfelt subject matter while playing their music at an ear piercing decibel. The third Scottish discovery by Fat Cat Records in as many years, the youngsters are a happy medium to the other two, The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit. Thompson's pain and misery is obvious in the crackle of his deeply accented wail in many of the songs' choruses, the anthemic sing along debut is an exploding punch in the face.

These Four Walls

15. The Rural Alberta Advantage-Hometowns This debut album from the Canadian trio, paints a country folklore tale with an eerie presence of mortality and nightmarish imagery. Within these eloquently delivered vignettes there is enough ambiguity for listeners to attach personal baggage to the themes addressed in lead singer, Nils Edenloff's personal recounting of his hometown. The stripped down instrumentation recreates an electro-pop ambiance which accents Edenloff's emotionally driven lyrics narrating his adoring love for everything rural. The RAA continue in the long tradition of a strong output of creatively bolstered musicians from Canada.

Hometowns

14. Passion Pit-Manners Bells and whistles open this debut album with lead singer, Michael Angelikos' piercing shrieks submerged in a sugary pool indie electro dance pop. There is a contrasting quality of substantive subject matter abstracted by these light-hearted melodies that hypnotically deter your attention from the matters of fact. Manners is a wondrous collection of songs playing soundtrack to the joyous and devilish impulses that lie within one's subconscious. A far cry from once was a Valentines gift to a college girlfriend.

Manners

13. Dan Auerbach-Keep It Hid I'm still unsure what cave I've been hidden to just have caught wind of the Akron blues duo The Black Keys. Regardless of the fact I get to reap the benefits of an excellent catalog of songs which re approach the medium of American-blues rock. While on hiatus, guitarist Dan Auerbach returned to his Akron analog studio to continue his personal exploration and furthering his investigation of finding new approaches of guitar play while retaining the classic tradition exhibited in his gritty style. As many of the familiar characteristics of the Black Keys are present in this new collection, Auerbach does an excellent job to challenge himself musically and reveal a scorned soul that finds a bittersweet comfort ability in solitude.

Keep It Hid

12. Cymbals Eat Guitars-Why There Are Mountains Joe Ferocious recalls Weezer as a huge influence in his musicality style that aided in his crafting the debut, Why There Are Mountains. Regardless of Joe's inspiration, CEG found a way to create a journey and exploration of a bright new world ahead of us approaching with a new found perspective. The lyrics tackle the darker aspects of one's self while exhibiting an awe struck love of the world's natural surroundings. An angst ridden piercing shrill exposes Joe's passionate contempt for complacency with an obvious desire to be uncaged and afforded the ability the necessary mistakes to grow.

Why There Are Mountains

11. Vivian Girls-Everything Goes Wrong At the conclusion of a relationship, many transitional emotions and actions occur. The dumpee prepares to move forward alone building up an emotional wall as the healing begins. Anger, resentment, denial, and tension are just some of the sensory responses present during this phase of repair. So enter the Vivian Girls sophomore album, Everything Goes Wrong a lo-fi diary of a scorned girl wanting to flex her muscles amidst fuzzy guitar rock. Continuing in the same direction as their self titled debut left off; Cassie,Katy and Ali move away from generalized statements in their songs and focus their energy on building an independent state of mind at the end of what seems a cancerous relationship. The album clocks in slightly longer, and exhibits a darker edge in the album's overall tonality.

Everything Goes Wrong

10. The Flaming Lips-Embryonic Approaching their twelfth album, a double disc nonetheless the Flaming Lips return to their roots of sound experimentation in a less polished fashion while creating an abstracted perspective on Coyne's usual themes of madness and isolation. Feeling much like a jazz infused gritty space odyssey, an epic drive at returning to the innovative psychedelic quandaries that allowed Wayne Coyne to express his hidden fears and imaginative theories of the social direction of the planet. I admit this may not be the most ideal Lips record for a new listener as Embryonic is a continuation of an existing discourse established decades prior.

Embryonic

9. St. Vincent-Actor There is a pleasant juxtaposition of a melodic,disarming, gentle voice with the dissonance of guitar feedback and jamming hooks that instantaneously have you nodding your head along. It took a while for me to come around and spend some time with Annie Clark but since our introduction I find myself constantly revisiting Actor. Her observations and outlook are very similar to my own as she paints a fantastical vision of the bleak, with her calm unfazed tone.

Actor

8. Animal Collective-Merriweather Post Pavilion I feel as though it has been a longstanding love/hate relationship with Animal Collective. There would be some amazing aspects of past albums that would bewilder me; while their constant experimentation sometimes fell off the deep end. In the onset recordings of MPP, the group shifted their focus and guitar-less music was written to substitute for the absence of Deakin (Josh Gibb). The result included the addition of sampling and the most harmonious marriage of experimental psychedelic sounds and intuitive recounting of moments of pleasure.

Merriweather Post Pavilion

7. Phoenix-Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix For their fourth album, the French quartet have really created their own identity in this polished indie pop style. They cold-heartedly approach romanticism building on past experiences and introducing a nostalgic undertone and a playful maturity that propels these French men's work to a cordon bleu level of Pop music.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs-It's Blitz From the first chords of "Zero" listeners are transported to a dance floor as the art school rejects of Brooklyn return for their third album, It's Blitz. The YYYs have had a helluva year between the rejuvenation of their post punk style recreating the 80s ballads with danceable beats while retaining an eternal pain revealed through her cryptic lyrics. Not to mention the opportunity for Karen O to exude her quirkiness, sound tracking Where the Wild Things Are for ex-beau Spike Jonze.

It's Blitz

5. Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca It has been a busy year in Brooklyn, as many of the summer's festivals featured an all Brooklyn band bill. Seeming an always evolving experimental group of musicians drawing from the positive attributes from whichever artist collaborates and contributes. Finding much success in graying the musical genre lines and incorporating aspects of R&B and this conceptually brilliant orchestral vocal style that re envisions the role of "composer". Lead, David Longstreth who proudly embodies that role has truly found his honest voice musically as the successes of Bitte Orca truly shape the direction of music. It is wildly imaginative and truly original.

Bitte Orca

4. The Antlers-Hospice By far the most written of band for "Drawing From Music" in 2009. The newly formed trio re imagine the work of lead, Peter Silberman; taking the most grim heart aching subject matter and translating it into a true opus of celebration. Not leaving any emotion unturned this saga unravels into a eerie hair raising epilogue leaving you with a desire to constantly replay. Whatever the truth behind Hospice's tale there is enough ambiguity for you to incorporate your own issues.

Hospice

3. The Decemberists-The Hazards of Love Little by little Colin Meloy has etched into our sub conscience these intricately scribed tales scratching at the scabs healed over from scorned loves and desires that never came to realization. With The Hazards of Love, what has been coined as a "Prog Opera" envisions an entire fantastical world of alter-egos who struggle with life decisions and the repercussions when a man thinks with his other "brain". It is difficult not to revisit this tale revealing many of its beautifully laid out dual meanings and complicated perspectives.

The Hazards of Love

2. Grizzly Bear-Veckatimest It wasn't easy to avoid the record which was coined as "the savior of indie rock". A truly amazing and heart stopping abstraction of good vs. evil. Daniel Rossen's sinisterly laid out words harshly contrast the angelic wail and enlighten words of Ed Droste. Paired with the fantastical Disney-like instrumentation of Chris Taylor; the listener has a bitter sweet reaction to the nostalgic realizations which come to surface as Veckatimest unravels and deconstructs the beauty within.

Veckatimest

1. Dark Was the Night-Compilation Originally conceived as a benefit CD for the Red Hot Organization. Comprised of 31 original tracks and curated by The National's Dessner brothers,which are either older tracks by the featured artists or favorite covers. From the onset of the disc, it is obvious this project was meaningful to everyone involved and is truly memorable with the caliber of collaborations throughout. I feel as though it has been ages since the last truly successful compilation that has deserved such attention and accomplishes the proposed goal.

Dark Was The Night

Since the Year 2000: Wolf Parade-Apologies to the Queen Mary

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Darr) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Since the bunch of Canadians responsible for the bands Wolf Parade,Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, Handsome Furs and most recently Moonface made their initial appearance four years ago; we have had the listening pleasure of at least half a dozen albums. Namely Spencer Krug, who is either the commanding force or has had a hand in the creative drive behind the fore mentioned bands. The innovation and musical experimentation has not halted since their inception and the evolution of these bands have continued to etch a strong reputation in the music world for Canadian music scene. With all this said, it was the initial drum crash and wail of Spencer Krug in the first track from Apologies to Queen Mary, the introductory album by Wolf Parade that had my senses instantly on overload. A change in my musical taste at a time that had me discovering different groups and realizing the presence of the lesser known talents.

The album was comprised of a handful of new songs not included on the previous self-titled EP and an additional track reworked from Krug's Sunset Rubdown project. The title addresses crude actions and behavior that had the band removed from the ocean liner, Queen Mary. The band's sound had an originality, manipulating and marrying a variety of sounds and instrumentation creating this chaotic beauty. Of the various monikers, the music by Wolf Parade is the most straightforward and aims at a more grand scale. It seems Krug takes an ominous perspective on global observations while reflecting his self importance to society based on how his genetics affect the man he has become. Writing credits and vocals are split between Krug and guitarist Dan Boeckner who's contrasting perspectives broaden our horizons and equal a distorted harmony.