Blogisode 5: The Blog Strikes Back

So it's been a while since I've done some serious writing, but its been a busy summer. I've got some great albums to write about and a couple of shows. But first, in honor of this unseasonable August weather, which serves as an alarm clock to the rapidly approaching autumn, here are some choice summeryish cuts free to you! Coming in at just under 2 hours, it's an eclectic mix that should be good for your next bbq/pool party/tickle fest. I hope you enjoy. Click here (pt. 1) and here (pt. 2). Now, on to bidness.

I had back-to-back shows last week, seeing Arlington's own Thao Nguyen & The Get Down Stay Down at The Black Cat, then G. Love at Wolftrap. Thao wins the coin toss and elects to go first.

After the opening band, who were from Richmond and sounded way too much like Ryan Adams, Thao & TGDSD took the stage. I was immediately struck that they were only a three piece; the album has such a full yet airy sound, I wasn't sure just three of them could carry the whole load. Thao seemed happy to be back home in DC (I think her mom was standing next to me), but the rigors of touring were starting to wear her down, shown in the cup of hot tea she was drinking. But still, she stomped and jumped around and banged on the guitar, once even employing a toothbrush to do said banging. She could benefit from a larger line up, which would leave her free to engage the audience instead of pulling double duty as the back bone and face of the band, but that's not to say they didn't do an admirable job. What really came through in the show were Thao's infectious charm and passion, engaging banter and stage antics and a voice as unique in person as it is on her album.

The G. Love show at Wolftrap was interesting. I've been a big fan for years, and I've seen him at a private show up to large venues, and all in between. But this time G. Love made a major faux pas by scheduling a better opening band, in the form of the Jon Butler Trio. Maybe "better" isn't the right word; more dynamic or energetic perhaps. I've attempted to get into the JBT a few times, but was never really struck. I have to say that their set blew me away. An eight minute solo jam showcased Butler's guitar mastery and the band had an intensity that really came across in a place like Wolftrap. Apparently, a fair number people were there just to see them, as people started leaving afterwards. G. Love, whose originality is hard to match, just doesn't bring the same type of high energy so, in that way, his set was anticlimactic. The sound mixing didn't help his cause either. The only songs I didn't like were 'Won't Go Back To Jersey' from his last album, Lemonade, and 'City Livin' off his newest, which are kind of corny. Highlights include 'Gimme Some Lovin' seguing into the Beatles 'Why Don't We Do It in the Road', he and JBT covering Blackbird (which wasn't great, but still cool) and the show ending, bring out the opening acts, 5 people on percussion-jamboree cover of Sympathy for the Devil (Woo Woo!). Hopefully, the next time G. comes to town he plays the 9:30.

Now onto the reviews. To date, a lot of the albums that I've been into this year, and therefore reviewing, have been on the soft or lighter sides. Well, it's high time that I crank up the ass kickin' so here it is. But before I start, I'd like to give a shout out and thanks to my friend Jess at Sony Records who hooked me up with a stack of promo cd's, one of which is below. Does this make me legit?

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

I'm new to The Hold Steady, but apparently this is their fourth album. Where the hell have I been? Stay Positive is the most rock n' roll album since Kings of Leon's 2007 Because of the Times. From the charged power chords that open Stay Positive, you know you're in for straight forward, smart but simple, high energy rock. The album calms down in the right spots ('Lord, I'm Discouraged' and 'Both Crosses') Occasionally, Tad Kubler engages in guitar heroics and the strings, synths, harpsichord and horns that pepper the album add depth and interest.

Craig Finn’s poetic style could almost be a snarling Mark Knopfler reciting Bob Dylan. His earthy voice paints pictures of blue-collar America that come across as personal yet universal, likes he’s singing to everyone, no one and just you all at the same time. Also, he sings about drinking. A lot. Finn manages to tell captivating stories, but without disclosing everything that happened, as if he's thinking about these events to himself, not relating it in full to an audience. ‘Sequestered in Memphis’ is about a one-night stand with mysterious criminal endings and ‘One For the Cutters’ is another thriller where we have to fill in the pieces. There's so many lines that stand out on this album, but I'll just pick two: "In bar light she looked alright. In daylight she looked desperate," (Sequestered in Memphis) or “Me and my friends are like the drums on 'Lust for Life'” (Constructive Summer). Stay Positive is a blast of fresh air from the warm, stale frivolities that plague so much of today's indie music and is easily one of the best albums of the year.

Does it Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the name. It's kind of clunky and corny, and whatever happened to brevity? [Update: Apparently the name is a quote from the British version of The Office] What I am a fan of, though, is their music. It sort of sounds like Justice but with more of a live band feel. About two thirds of the songs prominently feature heavy and aggressive synths with the remaining focused on a more rock sound, some times more experimental and sometimes quite poppy. It's loud, it's in your face, and not always pleasant, but for art to reflect life it can't always be pleasant.

'Attack of the 60ft Lesbian Octopuss' sounds like the B-52's on speed. 'Dawn of the Dead' and 'Being Bad Feels Pretty Good,' are the most accessible songs combining elements of 80's post punk and new wave, which seems contradictory but isn't. DIOYY is opening up for Nine Inch Nails currently, which only gives partial idea as to what they sound like. FYI, they're having way too much fun to be caught up in Trent Reznor style self pity and loathing.

Albert Hammond, Jr. - Como Te Llama?

Back in ought-two, a fresh and raw band broke through with a collection of stripped down, garage rock songs that rocked the... um, rock world. Although they became the targets of derision flung from some critics for receiving too much credit for their revivalistic style, The Strokes were a needed change from much of the dead-but-still-whipped horse named "alternative rock." Well, The Strokes may have been a one trick pony, with two mediocre follow ups, but that hasn't stopped Albert Hammond, Jr., the band's rhythm guitarist, from releasing his second solo album.

The best songs on this album are 'GFC,' 'Rocket' and the lullabyish instrumental 'Spooky Couch.' You can certianly hear the Strokes sound on Hammond's offering, with the same double-time guitar riffs, metronome bass and drums, and washy vocals. AHJr's voice is adequate but its hard to replace Julian Casablancas. A quick look at the album cover, with it's mysterious cut out picture, seems to imply a questioning of The Strokes future. While he nor the Strokes may ever attain the level of Is This It?, Albert Hammond does offer a suitable, if not stellar, dose of that too cool for school New York rock sound.