Stay Down Champion Stay Down
AV Club staff weigh in on their favorites of the year.
"He lay listening to the water drip in the woods. Bedrock, this. The cold and the silence. The ashes of the late world carried on the bleak and temporal winds to and fro in the void. Carried forth and scattered and carried forth again. Everything uncoupled from its shoring. Unsupported in the ashen air. Sustained by a breath, trembling and brief. If only my heart were stone." Cormac McCarthy, The Road
I'm fairly certain that this was the loudest show I've ever attended. I don't think I had a choice but to stand at the back of the venue in order to prevent my ears from bleeding. Much credit to those fans in the middle of it all. And to the crowd surfers last night, this post is for you!
There's a term far too frequently used by broadcasters in baseball - "professional hitter". It drives me crazy. Isn't every major league hitter, in fact, a professional hitter? I don't need idiots like Joe Morgan telling me that Aubrey Huff is a professional hitter, because I know what he's capable of. After watching these three old men rock out last night, I couldn't help but think that the term professional musician was, in this case, a perfect description. I certainly haven't seen many folks who play their respective instruments better than J, Murph, and Lou. J's on-stage "dance" moves reminded me a lot of a very uncoordinated friend from college - two feet stuck to the ground, swaying shoulders back and forth - so AL, if you're reading, you've got some competition bro.
As for the show itself, it's definitely not one of the best I've seen but as a first timer for a Dinosaur Jr show, I'm glad to have had the chance to see them. I just wouldn't go out of my way to see them again. Setlist stuck mainly to the insanely great Beyond and the hits compiled in Ear-Bleeding Country (including "Just Like Heaven" and my favorite, "Feel the Pain").
From their Message Board:
"Almost Ready"
"Just Like Heaven"
"Back to Your Heart"
(*from here it's out of order*)
"Been There All the Time"
"This is All..."
"Little Fury Things"
"Pick Me Up"
"Crumble"
"Out There"
"Feel the Pain"
"Gargoyle"
"Freak"
"Bulbs"
"Lose"
"Raisans"
Pitchfork has more dates (Europe, Canada). Dinosaur Jr.'s Beyond might be the best album I have heard this year.
05-29 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock *
05-30 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock *
05-31 Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub *
06-01 Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub *
06-02 Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub *#
06-03 Ann Arbor, MI - The Blind Pig *
06-04 Ann Arbor, MI - The Blind Pig *
06-06 New York, NY - Irving Plaza *
06-07 New York, NY - Irving Plaza *
06-08 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre *%
06-09 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda *
06-10 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground #
06-11 Cambridge, MA - Harvard Square
06-15 Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theater
06-16 Denver, CO - Westworld Music Showcase
06-17 Aspen, CO - Belly Up
* w. Awesome Color
# w. Lou Barlow
% w. Uncut
* I was blown away yesterday when Tripwire "broke" the news that Muse and Cold War Kids were playing the Garden. Not the theater but the damn arena. I didn't believe it until I just saw it confirmed on Brooklyn Vegan; so now I know it's legit. I love Muse and I am all over this if I'm in town but MSG?!?!?! Wow. August 6th.
* As InMyTree mentioned recently, The White Stripes are also playing the Garden. He'll be at Bonnaroo. I'll do my best to make this show at the Garden. July 24th.
* White Stripes tickets on sale Friday at 9am. Muse tickets on sale Sunday at 11am (from BV). I haven't seen anything on prices yet. UPDATE: The White Stripes tickets are $49.50 without fees (GA). Muse tickets are $45 and $39.50.
* I may be getting ahead of myself but "Icky Thump" is one of the best song's I've heard in awhile. I can't get enough of it.
* "Recommended" vs "Best New Music." I have no idea how Pitchfork makes this distinction but Dinosaur Jr's Beyond was reviewed today and received a "Recommended" 8.4. I wholeheartedly agree with this review/score (agreement with P4K, of course, is rare). This album is ridicuously good and a must for any of the younger folks out there who may not be familiar with their older work. It will certainly go down as one of my favorites of the year. Can't wait to catch them next month.
* Spoon's new album is titled Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.
[Link]
* Daft Punk is playing Brooklyn in August. Tickets are on sale this Saturday.
[Link]
* LCD Soundsystem is popping a 91 over at Metacritic. I grabbed it last week, but I am still trying to find time to give it a good listen.
[Link]
* Pitchfork posted a new Dinosaur Jr. track today. I'll save you the trouble. Great breakdown about 2 minutes in, followed by a killer solo that lasts the rest of the song. Hipsters call that "masturbatory", I call it "sweet". Beyond drops on May 1.
MP3: Dinosaur Jr. - "We're Not Alone"
This is not a post about SXSW. You won't find any live blogging to let the rest of the world know how much fun you're missing. Maybe I'm a little bitter. Anyway, a month ago I mentioned that I have been enjoying Dinosaur Jr's throwback rock reunion album Beyond. Even at 41, J Mascis is still making his presence felt on the music scene, whether it be through his vastly overlooked metal band, Witch (he plays drums), his vocals on Mew's last record, or the reunion with Dinosaur Jr, their first studio album together in 19 years. Largely unfamiliar with Dinosaur Jr's past work, which almost seems like a crime now considering their peak happened during my teenage years, a buddy of mine pointed me in the direction of Ear-Bleeding Country. I downloaded it yesterday and immediately came to the realization that I had been missing out on something great. I do have one memory of the band; for some reason I have a vivid recollection of the video for "Feel the Pain" on MTV way back in 1994 that featured the band playing golf in the middle of New York City. That song will always be one of my favorites from that decade, and likely for all-time.
MP3: Dinosaur Jr - "Feel the Pain"
I've seen J Mascis perform solo but I, for one, am definitely looking forward to the tour in support of their new release. Beyond is out on May 1st. Pre-order available at Amp Camp.
UPDATE: Perfect timing, I just found Dinosaur Jr's tour dates on NME. Count me in for Irving Plaza.
San Diego, CA, The Casbah (May 10 - billed as 'J Mascis And Friends')
West Hollywood, CA, The Troubador (May 11, 12, 13)
San Francisco, CA, Slim's (May 15, 16)
Portland, OR, Crystal Ballroom (May 17)
Seattle, WA, The Showbox (May 18)
Olympia, WA, Capitol Theatre (May 19)
Bellingham, WA, The Nightlight (May 20)
Minneapolis, MN, Triple Rock (May 29, 30)
Chicago, IL, The Abbey (May 31, June 1, 2)
Ann Arbor, MI, The Blind Pig (June 3, 4)
New York, NY, Irving Plaza (June 6, 7)
Toronto, ON, Phoenix Concert Theatre (June 8)
Montreal, PQ, Club Soda (June 9)
I have to say that I'm impressed. Kaiser Chiefs' Yours Truly, Angry Mob is out in the U.K. next Monday, that's February 26th (3/26 in the U.S.), and there is no sign of it anywhere on the internet. No leak to speak of. As far as music goes in the mid-00's, this has to be some sort of record right? And I think this is great, a total throwback to the days when we didn't hear an album until it hit shelves. Now of course, this isn't quite a perfect scenario since there is a month lag between the U.K. and U.S. release dates but I have to give the band's management credit for keeping this one under wraps.
Right now, at least from what I can tell, the only place to preview some additional tracks is at AOL Spinner.
Kings of Leon and Dinosaur Jr. are slightly less fortunate. Both Because of the Times and Beyond have hit the WWW. The albums won't be available until 4/5 and 5/1, respectively. I've taken an early look at both and the new Kings of Leon seems a bit uneven at times but they have a knack for coming up with sick stand-out tracks and right now, that's "Knocked Up" and "McFearless." As for Dinosaur Jr., I'm not as familiar with their past work as I should be but if this album doesn't conjure up memories of the guitar-infused rock of 15-20 years ago, then nothing will. And it's glorious...
Download two songs at P4K.
