'08's Music to Love More Than Music: Love More, Pt. 3

Love More (<3)
High Places - 03/07 - 09/07 and High Places
I first saw High Places at Rhinoceropolis 2 summers ago, and I just chalked their sound up to the sound system that Rhino had at the time. But, I was wrong, as it turns out their recordings are pure sonic assaults. Found sounds have never felt so full and tribal. These are not albums that you listen to without really listening to it, because it might be a little bland. I had to delve into it in order to really hear all the subtleties, and once you do so, you find a cornucopia of musical findings and rhythms.
from 7" collection:
High Places - Sandy Feat (7" Version)
High Places - Banana Slugs/Cosmonaut
from self titled:
High Places - Golden
High Places - The Storm

Birdmonster - From The Mountain To The Sea
Pure indie pop genius. I've infrequently touched by lyrics, but the rhythm and the sound of Peter Arcuni's voice just reaches out and grabs you. The instrumentals are unabashedly indie pop, but there is nothing wrong with that, especially when you play the way the members of Birdmonster do. Maybe a runner up for feel good album of the year.
Birdmonster - Born To Be Your Man
Birdmonster - Heart of The Dead

The Good Old Fashioned Sinners/Lil' Slugger - Lil' Slugger/The Good Old Fashioned Sinners Split CD
There are many things I love about Denver. Okay, mainly I love the music scene. These two bands are reason enough. I think Lil' Slugger is one of the most inventive and intellectual bunch of musicians I've come across (just talk to them, you might be surprised). I didn't like their half as much as I liked their full release, but I have to say I'm happy with anything I can get by these guys. The Good Old Fashioned Sinners are not musically as peculiar as Lil' Slugger, I feel, but it's still pretty great. It countryish, yes, but it's super distorted and full of life. The lyrics are, I think, ironic, but I'm not much of a lyrics man sometimes, and the music is what really drew me in. All in all, a good split.
Lil' Slugger - A Cascade of Strawberries, ...
The Good Old Fashioned Sinners - Heavy Doubts

The Accidental - There Were Wolves
I don't fully understand why I enjoy this band as much as I do. The guitar work is not the most intricate, and the vocals are not that unique. But maybe it's a Philip Glass situation: you don't need a lot of stuff to make good music, you just need the minimum, which is a talent for song writing, and some genuine musicianship. This band may not even embody that idea, but all of that jib-jab aside, I find myself drawn to this album again and again. The lyrics stand out quite bit, but not because they don't fit, rather because they are very unassuming and pleasant in nature, but the things that are sung are remotely heartbreaking. I mean, I'm not in tears while I listen to it, but I think that makes it more relatable, because if they were going for tears, it would probably sound too over the top.
The Accidental - Knock Knock
The Accidental - I Can Hear Your Voice

"That's Four Days. We're Gonna Live Forever"

A few Monday nights ago (4/21), Brian and I went down to see our friends Lil' Slugger, who happened to be playing a show with The Dodos, a band that has gotten a lot of friendly press as of late. We got down there a little early, so we hit up Twist & Shout, where I picked up an old Accept vinyl and he picked up a few random LP he's had on his list for a while. After getting food, we headed into the Hi-Dive, just as the first band was starting their set.

There are some half decent recordings of the show, which I've hosted at the bottom of this post.
Golden Brown is an eclectic little bluegrassy post-rockish band from Denver. This being the first time I'd ever even heard of them, I was fairly impressed. During one song they sounded like a Bluegrass/Post-Rock version of Mastodon, which was both awesome and awkward, making it more awesome than I could have expected. I was honestly impressed by not only their skill as musicians, but by their stage presences. They were not afraid to mess around and have some fun, which shinned through not only in their music, but in their banter. It's nice to see nice bands.

Lil' Slugger was up next, after a surprisingly short set up time. This being only the second time I've seen them, I was pretty excited to see how they were in a higher profile place (granted, the Hi-Dive isn't the Pepsi Center, but it's certainly no Alley House either). As some of you may or may not know, I absolutely adore their album, and look forward to getting my hands on their new EP (which may or may not be out by now ... I'm honestly not certain). This night they played, in the opinion of my buddy Brian, the most together that they have ever played. This may be music to the band members of Lil' Slugger's ears, but, maybe not. Either way, I think it was a stellar performance. Their songs were just as awkward and crazy live as they were on the album, and I certainly appreciated that. A few people in the crowd didn't so much, but Lil' Slugger took the situation and made lemonade out of it by inviting the hecklers (along with a few friends) on stage for the last song to bang around different things. Just a grand old time.

The Dodos were on next, and the Hi-Dive made a collective smoosh towards the front, any spot where a person could fit, a person fit themselves. I don't know how packed it actually was in there, but the stage was certainly more than crowded. To be entirely honest, I was a little disenchanted with the Dodos, but I don't think it was their fault, I think it was plainly that the drums were mixed waaaaaaaaaay high, and that you couldn't really hear the guitar or, really, much else other than the drums. Their songs are inventive and different and gimmicky, and, as some of you may or may not know, sometimes I'm a sucker for gimmicky. I just can't get past the fact that the drums were just overwhelming, which wouldn't really have been a problem had the drum beats had more variety. This isn't a slam to the drummer, I think the drum parts are exactly what the songs need, it's just that when that's all you can hear, it gets a little old. Had the drums been mixed lower, I would have liked it a lot more.

For the most part, the bad was well received, being called back for 2 encores, but ... I dunno ... I may miss their next trip through Denver unless they're supporting a new album. See them to see them I guess.

Artists: Golden Brown, Lil' Slugger, The Dodos
Date: 2008-04-21
Venue: The Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

Golden Brown - 1
Golden Brown - 2
Golden Brown - 3
Golden Brown - 4
Golden Brown - 5
Golden Brown - 6
Lil' Slugger - 1
Lil' Slugger - 2
Lil' Slugger - 3
Lil' Slugger - 4
Lil' Slugger - 5
Lil' Slugger - 6
Lil' Slugger - 7
Lil' Slugger - 8
The Dodos - 1
The Dodos - 2
The Dodos - 3
The Dodos - 4
The Dodos - 5
The Dodos - 6
The Dodos - 7
The Dodos - 8

As a side note, I just want to say that I really enjoy this whole "scheduled posting" thing that Blogger has implemented.

"Make New Friends and Punch Them Out"

(This fine piece of art is the work of Samuel Bak, an extraordinary everything)

Sorry this post is so late, I was up rather too late last night putting finishing touches on a paper that just didn't seem right that I'd been writing until the late hours of the night for the last few nights now. Now I get to look forward to having to do that again, but for a different class. Hopefully since it's a film class it'll go a little more smoothly...

So there are about a million shows in the next few days that I've convinced myself that I need to go to. And (as I review my schedule) by "the next few days" I mean basically the next month:

- Tomorrow night is the Monofog w/ Hearts of Palm (formerly Nathan & Stephen)/Nick Jaina show at the Hi-Dive
- I won't be attending the "British Sea Power w/ Colourmusic, Rabbit is a Sphere at the Hi-Dive" show on Saturday because I'll be at:
- The Lisps, Paper Bird, Finn Riggens, Zebra Junction, Magic Circles (Hunter Dragon and Matt Daniels) play at Brook Center Arts, also on Saturday
- Sunday is Panther, The Jim Jims, Asphodel, and Lil’ Slugger (see below for a review of their album) at the Larimer Lounge,
- Next Tuesday I'll be going to the Xiu Xiu/Thao Nguyen/Slight Harp show at the Hi-Dive
- But also next Tuesday Drew Danburry plays with CASTLES, Winderous Igloos, Thundersmile, and Sourboybitter at the Plummer House in Ft. Collins
- I'll be seeing Drew Danburry, however, when he plays the T-House next Wednesday

All that is just in the next week or so. 4 reealz. Get out and have some fun Denver!

Lil' Slugger - Sweethearts of the Overthrow
Verdict: Love More Than Music (<3>) [Please note this is the first time I've given this rating with my new method of reviewing albums]
This album took me a while to fully digest, but that's not because it was hard to like, but, rather, because it's, simply, a complicated album. Sounding a little bit like a myriad of different bands (Animal Collective, Man Man, Rock Plaza Central, the Shins, Clap You Hands Say Yeah!, Tractenburg Family Slideshow Players, Frog Eyes, Modest Mouse, 31Knots, Shearwater, and The Arcade Fire to name a few that come to mind first) for about 5 seconds. Lil' Slugger mostly just sounds like Lil' Slugger. The album is weird and heavy and fun and campy and dark and ridiculous and everything all at once in short bursts but never too much too fast too soon. It's the middle porridge. It sounds like what I could only imagine an acid trip in an avalanche of rocks and rubber balls would be like ... not sound like ... but be like. I'm honestly being haunted by one or two of these songs. They keep me awake at night, zooming in and out of my consciousness, taunting me ... and I love it.
Lil' Slugger - Pyramid (or $10,000)
Lil' Slugger - Strawberry Shortcake (You've come a long way, Fireball) (Good Humor)
Lil' Slugger - Us(L)urper (Devine Right)
Lil' Slugger - There Was A Change (Susan B. Anthony & The Wheat Cents)

Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
Verdict: Love More (<3)+
I can hardly imagine that there in a universe that has a Cloud Cult CD that isn't amazing, though I'm sure that the demonic writers of Sliders could have cooked up a devilish world in which this was the case. Thankfully, we don't live in this horrible parallel dimension. This album is good. Really good. It's weird and experimental and everything we loved about the Meaning of 8, but a little more compact. I don't love it more than the Meaning of 8 ... yet ... but that's because I've had a chance to get to know the Meaning of 8 over an entire year. Give it time and I may love this one more.
Cloud Cult - The Tornado Lessons
Cloud Cult - Love You All
Cloud Cult - Hurricane And Fire Survival Guide

Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
Verdict: Love (<) +
You all ready know about this CD. You all ready know about this band. You know how I know that? Because its so poppy and good that there is basically no way that you couldn't have heard of them. My favorite part of the album is the "tick tick tick time delay" lyric is dropped. So yeah, it's good. There ya go. Preaching to the choir.
Hot Chip - Bendable Poseable
Hot Chip - Shake a Fist
Hot Chip - Ready For the Floor

Bauhaus - Go Away White
Verdict: Didn't Like (ø) +
My first reaction to this was "whoa ... those vocals've got to go." I absolutely can't stand the first track, save for the gritty guitar work. Really the only saving factor for this album is the distorted guitar work that done. It's top notch. I guess I may have liked it if I lived through the Bauhaus' pertinent period. I liked one or two of their older albums, but I recognized them as classics, and that may be skewed my opinion a little. This album wasn't the worst album ever, but it just isn't something I enjoyed all that much. Here are a few tracks that I actually did like:
Bauhaus - Adrenalin
Bauhaus - Mirror Remains
Bauhaus - Endless Summer Of The Damned

Die! Die! Die! - Promises, Promises
Verdict: Love (<)
I think the main reason I like Die! Die! Die! as much as I do is because it reminds me of the underground British punk that I listened to back in the Highschool years. It's gritty and dirty and, at first listen, underproduced. But then when one listens intently, one can tell that the grittyness is just how these guys sound, and that they're a cavalcade of sounds and emotions. Sure, the album is not perfect, but I love the effort put into it.
Die! Die! Die! - Death To The Last Romantic
Die! Die! Die! - Britomart Sunset
Die! Die! Die! - Sideways Here We Come

The Kills - Midnight Boom
Verdict: Love More (<3)-
Mmmmm, sexy and devoid of emotions not related to sexiness. If these cats were any more ridiculously sexy ... well ... I can't think of a scenario where that's even possible. Reminds me of the Raveonettes, but I can't quite give you a reason that I'm satisfied with.
[Edit: because I was very nicely requested not to host the tracks What New York Used To Be, Sour Cherry, and Alphabet Pony (my favorite tracks from the album {i.e. look out for those bad boys when you pick up the album}), I took them down, because that's a standing policy with me (you ask me not to host something, I do it, because it's not my music, and, in the end, decisions about it are not up to me {in my opinion}). So here are the two tracks (that are still very good) that the Kills are okay with you sampling:]
The Kills - U.R.A. Fever
The Kills - Cheep and Cheerful

Venus Verse - Phazes
Verdict: Love More (<3)
Neo-New Wave (not New Rave, mind you) with a hint of Shoegaze and a whole bunch of heart. They remind me of a younger, cleaner version of the Raveonettes (again, with being reminded of the Raveonettes). They've only got this EP, but I've all ready become very fond of these cats.
Venus Verse - Loving Arms
Venus Verse - Not Quite Juliet
Venus Verse - Whisper

A Silver Mt. Zion - 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
Verdict: Love More (<3)
Me being a long time of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, when I first heard of A Silver Mt. Zion shortly after their second release, I was a little more than curious, you could say. Well these cats certainly have grown from their humble beginnings ... okay ... so their beginnings weren't that humble, but still, they've really come a long way. The album proves that this penultimate Post Rock band may one day overshadow it's predecessor ... granted they've not quite reached that in my eyes, and I hate to think of them as an off shoot of the best Post Rock band ever, but sometimes we can't help what we do or how we feel. That said, I also feel that this album is astonishing. Since there are only 5 real songs on the album (the first 12 tracks are ~5 seconds of guitar squeals), I'm only going to post 1 song, and, as an exclusive bonus, I've combined the first 12 tracks into one, and am also hosting that. So yeah. OH! please note that the song I am posting is in 5/4 time (or possibly 11/4, it's hard to tell) ... and that's basically what made me want to post it over the other songs.
A Silver Mt. Zion - Tracks 1-12 combined
A Silver Mt. Zion - 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons

To make up for my not providing more songs by A Silver Mt. Zion, here's a live set by them that I'm fond of:

Band: A Silver Mt. Zion
Date: 2006-05-25
Venue: Le 4 sans, Bordeaux, France

(intro)
Godbless Our Dead Marines
Take These Hands and Throw Them in the River
(anxiety)
Teddy Roosevelt's Gun
Horses In The Sky
(disco song)
Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come And Gone)
BlindBlindBlind [OFF THE NEW ALBUM]
(repetition)
1,000,000 Died to Make this Sound [OFF THE NEW ALBUM]