Month: July 2014

Cloud Nothings, Live at the Hawthorne Theatre

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It had been a long time since I’d seen Cloud Nothings live, back when I caught them on an Austin rooftop at SXSW in 2011.  Cloud Nothings morphed from a bedroom/pop-punk project of Dylan Baldi into a full-fledged band, first as a four-piece and now as a trio, with their albums Attack On Memory and Here and Nowhere Else grabbing the attention of both audiences and critics.  I was impressed with them back then, and their recent work enhanced their reputation even further in my mind, so I was eager to finally witness the band’s evolution on stage instead of just on record.

The night kicked off with The Wytches, a band that sometimes provided energy, and sometimes provided noise; melodies were strictly optional.  METZ in many ways followed the same pattern; the way I put it was that “METZ are really good at making a lot of noise at a quick tempo”.  It was a fiercely energetic punk rock, with music that alternated between dissonant chords or emphasizing a bended note for measures at a time, and vocals that were an indecipherable yell.  It reminded me a lot of Side 2 of Nevermind, and then I got a little depressed wondering if the band members were even alive when that album was released.  By the end of their set, they had won me over a bit, as I let the cacophony rain over me and thought “Sonic Youth really should’ve written some more hardcore songs”.

My phone can at least capture a pretty clear picture of the marquee

My phone can at least capture a pretty clear picture of the marquee

As we waited for the headliner to hit the stage, a quick look around the room gave me the impression that a significant portion of the crowd was even younger than the band members themselves.  I’m pretty sure I have some concert t-shirts that were older than many crowd members, and I’m still on the right side of 30 (though to be fair, we moved from the Adult Beverage section to the front in order to have a more proper experience of the show, so that easily skewed my perspective).  But you know, school’s out for the summer, so I’m perfectly fine with the Youth of America heading out to a punk rock show, especially for a band that’s influenced by the group that wrote an excellent album by that name (Portland’s very own The Wipers).

The more recent material from Cloud Nothings has been angrier and more cynical, but Dylan was a perfectly polite host, as he introduced the band to the crowd.  For the most part, the specific interaction with the audience was minimal, since there was business to attend.  The band tore through mostly newer stuff, rarely taking a breath or stopping to tune.  It certainly didn’t sound like the band was just kicking off a new leg of their tour after taking a short break, since the three guys were just about as tight as possible (when I informed my friend of this fact, he said he never would have guessed).

The lighting did me no favors.

The lighting did me no favors.

Each member turned in a great performance, with drummer Jayson Gerycz sounding as spectacular live as he does on record; the ridiculous acceleration marking the climax of “Psychic Trauma” being a particular highlight.  Dylan’s guitar-playing was also quite the sight, as his fingers performed some incredibly nimble gymnastics across the fretboard.  It’s clear that he uses a lot of interesting and unique chords to get that interplay between rhythm and lead, but to see it actually performed in action gave me a whole new appreciation for his composition skills.  Dylan also tore into a couple of fierce solos, with the one in “Stay Useless” energizing an already-amped crowd.

As could be expected, the sound mix wasn’t particularly good, with different parts burying each other.  The bass was especially brutal, often drenched in unintended feedback and overtones, the vocals were often muddy, and the guitar never really loud enough to hear all the necessary details.  The Hawthorne is not a particularly forgiving space, but the band still put on a great performance built on energy and crowd familiarity.  We didn’t need to hear every single note to know that we just heard a fantastic show.

The band has departed.

The band has departed.

 

Covered: “Just Like Heaven”

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Covered is a feature where we examine the merits of various cover songs, debating whether or not they capture the spirit and intent of the original, if the cover adds anything new, and whether or not it perhaps surpasses the original.  If we fail on those counts, at the very least we may expose you to different versions of great songs you hadn’t heard before.

One of my all-time favorite covers is Dinosaur Jr.’s take on one of The Cure’s biggest hits, “Just Like Heaven”.  The Dino version somehow succeeds in being both faithful to the original and irreverent at the same time.  The video above helps make my point, as the band clearly has a bit of fun with the original version by mimicking many of its dance moves, but it’s done in a gently mocking manner instead of a heavy-handed insulting way.  The distinctive bass pickup/drumfill intro remains, but this time at a quicker tempo, followed by a shimmery acoustic guitar that’s a close match to the original.  It’s when the next wave of guitars enter that changes the mood, first with a heavily wah-wah’ed backing rhythm guitar, and then followed by a guitar that’s been whammy’ed within an inch of its life that takes on the memorable melody line, instead of the delicate twinkly style of the original.  It’s at this point that this sounds like a classic Dinosaur Jr. song, though with a more danceable beat.

J Mascis matches the vulnerability of Robert Smith’s vocals, and J’s distinctive whiny drawl actually helps bring out the emotion of the lyrics.  But it’s Lou Barlow’s shouted contribution of “You!” to the power chord-heavy chorus that really seals it, and it makes me crack up every time I hear the song.  It’s so jarring and unexpected that it changes the whole demeanor of the song, but once you know it’s there, you can’t wait for it to appear again.  J then twists the melody into one of his trademark blistering solos, further putting the band’s stamp on the song.  And just when you’re expecting the release from another chorus, the song abruptly cuts out.  For years, I thought I was the victim of a shitty version of the album, but I later found out that no, everyone had the same problem; the story is that the tape ran out while they were recording the song, but they liked the take so much they shipped it as is.  To this day, the band plays it the same way, abrupt ending and all.

For a long time, the Dinosaur Jr. version was the only one I knew; I had known it was a cover, but I never felt like seeking out the original since it was rare that I was in a mood to listen to The Cure.  So it may appear that my opinion is tainted, but no less of an authority than Robert Smith himself has proclaimed himself a fan of the cover, going so far as to say that it now influences how his band plays the song live.  I like the original, but I’ll agree with Mr. Smith on this one.

BONUS TRIVIA: In the Dinosaur Jr. video, the green puppet is wearing a “Deep Wound” t-shirt, which is the hardcore band that J and Lou were in before starting up Dinosaur Jr.

Review: Peter Matthew Bauer – Liberation!

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We’ve professed our love for The Walkmen on Rust Is Just Right on several occasions, but even we’re surprised at how much we’re enjoying all the new albums that have been released in the wake of the band’s recent hiatus.  A couple of weeks ago, we reviewed the stellar solo debut of frontman Hamilton Leithauser, and now we’re doing the same for bassist/organist/guitarist/etc Peter Matthew Bauer.  We had never heard Bauer sing before, but we were at least familiar with his presence–his bouncing form was a trademark sight at any Walkmen show, and his instrumental parts were the key components to several of the band’s best songs.  There were high hopes in anticipation of Liberation!, but it was difficult to imagine what the final product would be.

There are still some elements of Bauer’s previous band to be found, most notably the distinctive trebly guitars and the basic but powerful drumbeats (the latter of which can probably be attributed to the presence of Walkmen co-member Matthew Barrick on percussion).  These touches don’t overwhelm the song, but fans of the band should be able to pick them out and appreciate them.  The shambolic solo guitar intro to “Irish Wake In Varanasi (For Big Pete Devlin)” recalls the great hit “The Rat” before switching gears into solid, driving rocker, and first single “Latin American Ficciones” seemingly could have evolved from a lost Walkmen track, an experiment where the band decided to switch vocal duties along with instrumental ones.

But Bauer mixes in a wide variety of unexpected influences into that basic template, including field recordings, latin touches, and most notably a stream of Eastern Indian instrumentation that runs throughout the album.  The integration of these musical influences also mirrors many of the lyrics and narrative themes of the album, as Bauer recounts his unique experiences and encounters stemming from a variety of religious backgrounds, including Hinduism, Christianity, and Scientology.  The album doesn’t look only to the past, however; after its delicate instrumental intro, “Philadelphia Raga” shifts into a slightly bouncy but breezy folk, echoing some of the recent work of contemporaries Real Estate and Kurt Vile.

The title Liberation! does seem to fit the album well, even without consulting the lyrics; there is a definite road-trip feel to the album, as if it were a soundtrack to an aimless but fruitful wandering across the country (and not a direct reference to releasing a solo album, considering the presence of Barrick and musical callbacks).  Bauer acquits himself just fine as a vocalist, carefully not exceeding his range, and makes use of his flat style to deliver his tales of the road in a convincing manner.  Though there are few moments that match the highlights of his previous band, Liberation! is still a nice surprise that’s worth repeated listens.