In the Rotation

Unfortunately, due to our schedules, posts have become less frequent on Metro D. So now that we're reaching the end of the first 1/4 of 2008 I thought I'd take this opportunity to point out the albums and songs that I've been enjoying most (since I haven't posted much about this stuff). I decided to be a bit more systematic and use the star ratings on my ipod to help differentiate. I've divided the number of songs by the total number of stars. (For some reason, it sounded cooler than it writes when I started this...)

2008 Releases

The Black Keys: Attack & Release
Avg: 1.82


[Buy]
MP3: The Black Keys - "Strange Times"

Fleet Foxes: Sun Giant EP
Avg: 1.8


[Buy]
MP3: Fleet Foxes - "Mykonos"

Tokyo Police Club: Elephant Shell
Avg: 1.72


[Buy]

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks: Real Emotional Trash
Avg: 1.7


[Buy]

Cloud Cult: Feel Good Ghosts
Avg: 1.69


[Buy]

Foals: Antidotes
Avg: 1.64


[Buy]

Silver Jews: Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Avg: 1.6

British Sea Power: Do You Like Rock Music?
Avg: 1.5


[Buy]

Constantines: Kensington Heights
Avg: 1.5


[Buy]

Tapes 'n Tapes: Walk It Off
Avg: 1.33


[Buy]

Grand Archives: s/t (1.27), Vampire Weekend: s/t (1.18), Black Mountain: In The Future (1)

My 4 Star-Rated Songs in order of preference:
Fleet Foxes - "Mykonos" [MP3]
Silver Jews - "San Francisco B.C."
Black Mountain - "Tyrants"
Tokyo Police Club - "Tessellate"
Foals - "Red Sock Pugie"
These New Puritans - "Elvis"
Constantines - "Our Age"
Tokyo Police Club - "Your English is Good"
Stephen Malkmus - "Gardenia"
Cloud Cult - "The Ghost Inside Our House"
Grand Archives - "Sleepdriving"

Free Live EP from The Black Keys

The Black Keys are offering a free Live EP on their MySpace page. The four songs were recorded at various venues across 2006. If you're seeing them at Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza, I am jealous.



01. "No Trust" Recorded at Troubadour, Los Angeles 09.13.06
02. "Elevator" Recorded at Mercy Lounge, Nashville 12.15.06
03. "Girl Is On My Mind" Recorded at Troubadour, Los Angeles 09.13.06
04. "10AM Automatic" Recorded at Mercy Lounge, Nashville 12.15.06

Slow Going

Not much to report these days. Maybe everyone is prepping for SXSW. I really need to go one of these years. In fact, InMyTree and I made a pact. It's going to happen sooner or later.

I may try to see "300" tonight. Reviews are not surprisingly mixed. I'm still shocked by how much money it made in it's opening weekend. The all-time record for box-office releases in March? The 3rd best debut ever for an R-Rated movie. That probably gives Frank Miller a green light on just about anything for the forseeable future. It looks like he's on tap to direct "The Spirit". He's also involved in an adaptation of "Ronin" and "Sin City 2".

There's an interview with Patrick Carney, one of the best drummers in the business, over at Pitchfork.

I think the ongoing discussion of where the Arcade Fire will be playing in NYC is close to being confirmed. I read something on the UsKidsKnow forums yesterday that it's more and more likely that all 3 shows will be at The United Palace. I'll be there in a couple weeks to see Bloc Party. We'll see. The official message says: "Please do not email this site regarding the NYC shows in May. Just keep an eye on this site in the coming weeks for any updates & info regarding the venues and on-sales."

Just for the hell-of-it MP3: Here's another of the Bloc Party b-sides that I'm enjoying at the moment.

MP3: Bloc Party - "Cain Said to Abel"

You can listen to the Bravery's first single, "Time Won't Let Me Go" on their site. Sounds just like their old stuff. I'll pass.

Finally: Eddie and Keith Richards at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC last night. (Photo credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

New Shows for '07; Best Shows of '06

I've been sulking over the last few weeks and it's because I've had no live shows on the calendar to look forward to in the new year. And then everything changed in the last 24 hours. I've just picked up tickets to see new UK buzz band, The View @ Mercury Lounge on 1/3. This is a DIY Scottish band that has been linked to ultimate fuck up Pete Doherty. They've since been getting a lot of play on BBC and their debut album comes out in the UK on January 22nd. I'll go in with low expectations and hopefully leave pleasantly surprised. Also on the books, Peter Bjorn and John, who are somewhat surprisingly doing two shows at Mercury Lounge on 1/29 and 1/30. By now, I hope you have all heard "Young Folks." It was on Grey's Anatomy after all...(that's intended to be sarcastic but seriously best pop song of the year?) Lastly, the best news of all, The Thermals will be doing two headlining dates on the East Coast (w/ the Big Sleep). Tickets go on sale Friday at noon (at least for NYC).

Mar 2 - Black Cat Washington, DC
Mar 4 - Bowery Ballroom New York, NY

And just like that, bands representing two of my favorite albums from '06 kicking things off right in '07.

With that, I thought I'd list my favorite shows of 2006:

1. Editors @ Mercury Lounge (Jan. 20): I don't know one person, blogger, etc. in attendance who wasn't floored by this performance. I had been listening to their album for quite some time but that's a different band. Simply, the most jaw dropping live performance I've probably ever seen and I shared that experience with about 200 people.

2. Muse @ Hammerstein / SSPU @ Mercury (Aug. 3): There are a collection of bands that can rightfully claim to be the best live band in the world today. Muse currently holds that title. Jumping in a cab and rushing to see SSPU at Mercury made the night that much more memorable.

3. Pearl Jam/MMJ @ Continental (Jun. 3): Any Pearl Jam live appearance is going to count as one of the best of the year. They're my favorite band and the benchmark for any rock band trying to make the jump to arenas. Oh and MMJ is no slouch, they get it.

4. Wolfmother @ Northsix (Feb. 19): Watching this band grow into something huge and knowing that InMyTree and I saw them before it all went down.

5. Radiohead/The Black Keys @ MSG Theater (Jun. 14): No need for explanation

Live Music Weekend Recap

With all the craziness around CMJ this week in New York, I did my best to partake in the events this weekend catching 8 different bands in a 24-hour period. It was exhausting, I felt like I spent a full day at Austin City Limits. Here are some thoughts on the various acts.

Friday, 11/3: The Black Angels, The Black Keys @ Nokia Theatre
I was looking forward to hearing the Black Angels, I haven't had a chance to listen to their album in full but I like most of their songs. They sounded great in what must have been the largest venue they've ever played (2100 which was full during their show). My lady actually felt bad that the band had to drag their own equipment off the stage after their set. I explained to her that not all bands have a crew the size of U2, her response: "Well, they're living the dream". True. The Black Keys were entertaining as always. I believe this is the 4th time I've seen them and this was by far the best set list, combining the best of Magic Potion with past greats. Patrick Carney, of course, did not disappoint on drums. A very nice reminder as to why he is one of the best on tour today.

Saturday, 11/4: Brooklyn Vegan Show @ The Annex
I can't thank BV enough for putting this show together. He literally managed to pull together all of my favorite new bands (White Whale, Tokyo Police Club, and SSPU) in one venue for a FREE show. Amazing. I missed Takka Takka who came on first at noon but here were the rest, in order:

White Whale: I've been waiting and waiting for these guys to come to NYC to promote their album. They haven't received much of the critical acclaim that I feel their album deserves but I thoroughly enjoyed their brief set. After many shows this week, Matt Suggs barely had his voice but the band was nothing short of awesome. They need to come back.

Annuals: Despite all of the buzz, I'm not really a huge fan of the album, Be He Me. The potential is there and some of the songs are great but the album just seems to fade in the latter half. That said, no band left me more impressed. Adam Baker's energy matches his age and although they only managed to get through 4 or 5 songs, I firmly believed that their future will be extremely bright. Random aside: why hasn't Pitchfork reviewed this album? No one built these guys up more after posting the mp3 to "Brother." Get the sense that maybe they felt the same way that I did about the album? A little disappointing to be sure - and yet no review. Hmmm...

Elvis Perkins: I didn't know his work beforehand and I didn't really hear anything that would give me cause to listen further. Sorry, just a bit too depressing for me.

Tokyo Police Club: My vote for best new band in 2006. They easily managed to cover the most ground in their allotted 30 minutes, getting through about 9 songs half of which were new material. Always entertaining, I can never get enough of these guys.

The Big Sleep: "Murder" is one of my favorite tracks this year and there is no question that the band can rock out with the best of them. Unfortunately, I need to hear some more vocals. I get the sense that if they followed in the footsteps of Broken Social Scene that they would also experience similar success.

Silversun Pickups: This is probably one of our most blogged about bands and deservedly so. Entertaining as always, Brian Aubert and Nikki Monninger seem to be more comfortable on stage with each show. I just wish they could have played a bit longer. "Lazy Eye" and "Kissing Families" are quickly becoming show staples. Solid.