Yay! Just got tickets to four concerts!

by Justin & Joe on Jan 18, 2007 1:57 AM EST Comment 22 comments

Mastodon on February 5th at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

Midlake on February 15th at The Entry.

Sparklehorse on February 19th at First Avenue.

TV On The Radio on March 15th at First Avenue.

Poll

Which of the four concerts will be the best?

Mastodon

10 votes

TV On The Radio

22 votes

Midlake

2 votes

Sparklehorse

4 votes

None of them. Your taste in music is worse then the Nationals farm system.

47 votes

85 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 22 comments

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Comments

TVOTR

I've not listened to much of the other bands, but I saw TV on the Radio on of the last times they were through Seattle and I have to say they put on a mean show. Among the best I've seen in recent years.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett

by JY on Jan 18, 2007 2:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

mastodon

who else is on that bill?

by npurcell on Jan 18, 2007 2:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Mastodon +

Converge and Priestess. I've heard Priestess is terrible but never heard it myself. Converge is better than Mastodon in many ways to me. I haven't decided if I'm going to go this or not...

by evilgenius on Jan 18, 2007 3:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

seen converge

pretty nuts show

by robcast23 on Jan 18, 2007 8:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

converge

always fun to see. jacob bannon going crazy like a banshee always makes my night. their new one no heroes is pretty good but nothing tops you fail me.

by npurcell on Jan 18, 2007 1:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

talk baseball

by Havok1517 on Jan 18, 2007 4:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

que?

Haven't heard of any of them.

<grumpy old man> Is this what the kids are into these days? With your hipping and your hopping, licking toads for kicks? Hmm? You kids, getting out of limos with no underwear, listening to the Killers, and the like?</grumpy old man>

Seriously, I'm curious, what bands from 1965-2000 would you compare them to? Maybe I'll check them out.

by SmokeyJoeWood on Jan 18, 2007 9:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

comparisons

Mastodon: one of the the greatest metal bands ever.
best album: Blood Mountain

Midlake: Heavily influenced by 70s bands like Fleetwood Mac and America. Roscoe is the best song from last year.
best album: The Trials of Van Occupanther

Sparklehorse: kind of like a more mellow Flaming Lips.
best album: It's a Wonderful Life

TV On The Radio: No band comparisons come to mind; very unique. Influenced by jazz, funk, doo wop, post-punk, psychedelia, trip-hop, and about 10 other genres. Released the best album of 2006; Return to Cookie Mountain.
best album: Return to Cookie Mountain

by Justin & Joe on Jan 18, 2007 2:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

sorry hellogoodbye

the best albumn of the year is by Joanna Newsom. Its called Ys. and it only has 5 songs of a 23-year-old woman with a terrible voice playing the harp. This post is not a joke.

by joeywyen on Jan 18, 2007 9:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Phew....

I thought I was the only one. I am only 30, and I hadn' heard of a single band mentioned in this thread until he started comparing these bands to older bands.

Of course, I don't really listen to new music. I live under the assumption that all the good music has already been made, so I only listen to oldies and classic rock stations. So, that band that was compared to Fleetwood Mac and America intrigues me.

by Boxkutter on Jan 18, 2007 2:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's official for me

Return to Cookie Mountain sucks. I've listened to the whole thing through about 3 times now, and it just plain blows. Just because it's original doesn't mean it's good. Maybe I don't do enough drugs or something, but I officially don't get what makes that album or that band good. Same goes for The Knife.

by Brickhaus on Jan 18, 2007 2:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

3 listens!!!??!?!

Who the hell do you think they are, N'Sync??
Give them at least a dozen listens and if you still don't like them, then I guess they're just not for you.
But to think you can understand and enjoy something as complex and atmospheric as Return to Cookie Mountain after just three listens is ridiculous.

And The Knife is alright, but just not my type of thing.

by Justin & Joe on Jan 18, 2007 2:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

There are plenty

of albums that are complex and layered that I do like. I liked Fabulosos Calavera (Los Fabulosos Caddilacs), Francis the Mute (Mars Volta) and California (Mr. Bungle), and those albums have most of the same qualities you just extolled. I can even appreciate why some people would like Pink Floyd or the Doors, even though I don't like them much, but I feel like TOTR just caught the ride on a hype machine, and that people who are plugged in to the music industry just thought "oh how original, it must be good and let's preach the word." The problem is, it's just not good.

If you need to listen to an album 12 times to like it, then it's not good and you just get to like it due to repetition. That's not liking an album, that's Stockholm Syndrome.

by Brickhaus on Jan 18, 2007 9:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can sort of agree with that..

In that I don't see the album itself as deserving quite as much attention as it deserved. Don't get me wrong, I've followed them for a while now and appreciate they're getting some attention, but on the whole... I think that while they did manage to create an album that was fairly strong throughout (a shortcoming of Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes), they haven't written a good slow song since Blind (which was too long anyway) and basically substituted static-y sounds for the throbbing bassline of their previous works. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't blow away either, and I have some concerns that their albums may end up becoming a bit formulaic (i.e. this is where the doo-wop song goes), but they interest me on potential and I'm curious to see what they might do next and if their ability to compose songs rather than fill empty sonic spaces improves any.

California is, indeed, a fine album though.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett

by JY on Jan 18, 2007 9:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Then explain me...

If it's not good, and every critic is just giving it rave reviews because of it's originality, then how come I love it?
Have I just been brainwashed by Pitchfork and Rolling Stone into liking an album that actually blows?

Or MAYBE, good sir, the problem is you.

Complex, atmospheric music like Return To Cookie Mountain requires multiple listens not so you can memorize it, but so you can discern the intricacies of its densely layered mix.

by Justin & Joe on Jan 18, 2007 10:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pitchfork, blah.

The variance on their reviews is atrocious, they're trying to sell records (as are most music reviewers), and I take issue with anyone who refuses to admit similarities between The Decemberists and Neutral Milk Hotel.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett

by JY on Jan 18, 2007 10:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I heard a theory once...

can't recall where. Maybe one of Bill Simmons' articles when he was doing his email correspondence pieces.

But it basically compared sports to music. The person stated that you can make arguments about what the greatest ever football team was, or baseball player, etc. But when it came to music, it is all subjective. Someone can make a statement that some little independant, unheard of band in Podunk, Virginia is the greatest band of all time. And they are right. Music isn't something that can be compared quantitatively, so you can't say one band sucks and another is great. That all depends on your own musical interests. It's not like sports where you can compare apples to apples and scores to scores. Music touches different people different ways.

So, what may be a great album to one person, maybe the greatest ever, may sound like complete trash to another. Like me, one of my favorite current bands is some little band out in California called The Jane Doe's (you can find them on Myspace to give a quick listen). They don't have a nationwide following really even though they did a song on a motion picture soundtrack that starred both Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley (Hint John: Use Keira for some upcoming Cheesecake!) but I still like their music. Slow, bluesy, with a touch of jazz in some songs. Every song I ever heard from their album (which I had to order from their website, and included a handwritten thank you note for supporting the band) is great. But that doesn't mean everyone else would like it.

And screw what most music experts say. I will not be told what is good and what isn't, or what I should like based on some arrogant "music expert" who has some greater image of themself than they deserve. If I like it, I like it. If I don't, I don't. Screw your opinion.

Thanks and have a nice day.

by Boxkutter on Jan 19, 2007 6:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't do any drugs

and I can still appreciate it.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett

by JY on Jan 18, 2007 3:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Shows in MN

This is a real crummy time of year to see touring bands. I did see that Trans Am, Fu Manchu, and ISIS are coming. Those'll be pretty sweet...

by evilgenius on Jan 18, 2007 3:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It's a Wonderful Life...

Is one of the greatest albums that no one really knows about. Really amazing...and it took me quite a few years to realize that. Anyway I'll be going to the Sparklehorse show as well...just here in Chicago.

Also bought tickets for the Shins show and Cold War Kids.

Good shows abound here in 2007!

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." Abraham Lincoln

by davidb on Jan 18, 2007 8:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

2 awesome indy albums

Guys, you need to hear these 2 albums. These bands are going to make it big, BIG, I tells ya! Only I know about them, and their stuff is off the hook. Check these 2 albums out, before they become mainstream, and it becomes no longer cool to listen to them:

Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
Led Zeppelin - III

by SmokeyJoeWood on Jan 19, 2007 11:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

WHAT.

See, this is the problem with living in Connecticut. All the good bands either don't play or are booked on days when I have to work late. Unless you're Mates of State or Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Just found out Sonic Youth's playing in New Haven next month... and I have to work until midnight. Eh, Sparta's coming in March, and that's almost like getting to see At the Drive-In...

That said, TV On the Radio's allegedly a GREAT live show, so I went with that. But Mastodon, Converge, and Priestess (even though I'm only into one of those bands) could be good. One friend of mine gushes about Mastodon incessantly, and was doing the same about Priestess last night.

"What you're forgetting is that you need at least three DWIs before you're considered a 'dominant' drunk driver." (limozeen)

by drjayphd on Jan 21, 2007 2:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs