LIVE JOURNAL
JezebelMusic.com @ The Bell House
August 8, 2009 | Harvey Danger, Jukebox the Ghost, Valley Lodge
photo by Jessi Bautista
Last Saturday The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn, hosted the second show of Harvey Danger’s six-stop farewell tour. It was one of those rare existential crisis-inspiring shows that makes one wary of the ageist nature of rock music and the fickleness of pop. It was a show that ultimately inspired a sort of optimistic and perhaps obvious understanding that the real impact of a band isn’t the amount of records sold (or the popularity of a single), but its meaningful influence on a small number of people.
The opener, Valley Lodge, had a ’90s-inspired sound that was remarkably appropriate for the occasion. The band blasted into the song “Every Little Thing”, which sounded like the slacker side of Dinosaur Jr., or a loving tribute to the Old 97’s. Lodge is a project of the writer/comedian/UCB regular Dave Hill, who introduced each song as one of their “greatest hits,” and shredded his fair share of guitar solos. The band is a treat to watch, and I recommend that everyone in the New York area check them out.
More on Harvey Danger, Jukebox the Ghost, Valley Lodge @ The Bell House | 8.8.09
Chinese Democracy Leaker Sentenced to Probation and House Arrest…Axl Rose Remains Unscathed For the Crime That Was Chinese Democracy [Billboard]
The Killers Make Video For Day & Age Track “Goodnight, Travel Well” To Raise Sex Trafficking Awareness…PSA Music Videos Have Come A Long Way Since This [Spin]
Free Music Listening Service/Music Genome Project, Pandora, Avoids Bankruptcy [The Tripwire]
Polyphonic Spree Does Shows For Southern Comfort; Dinosaur Jr. Makes Videos For Playboy (Man, I Wish That Was Exactly What It Sounds Like) [Brooklyn Vegan]
Bruce Springsteen Extends His US Tour; Two More New York Dates Added [Spin]
TMZ (Read: Unreliable) Reports That LAPD Is Treating Michael Jackson’s Death As Homicide [NME]
Stream Thom Yorke’s Cover of Mark Mulcahy’s “All For the Best,” Off the Recently Top Dog-ed Mulcahy Tribute Ciao, My Shining Star [Stereogum]
Where Do The Babies Come From? You See Son, When An All Male Lo-Fi Brooklyn Band (Woods) Loves An All-Female Lo-Fi Brooklyn Band (Vivian Girls)… [Pitchfork]
Stream Brazilian Psych-Rock Legends Os Mutantes “Teclar,” Their First Single In Nearly 30 Years [Pitchfork]
D.C.’s Shudder To Think Announce Live Album, Live From Home; Released September 15 [The Tripwire]
compiled by Max Sebela
July 14, 2009
Dinosaur Jr. | Farm
FRESH BAKED
Dinosaur Jr.
Farm
2009 | Jagjaguwar
B+
Dinosaur Jr.’s new LP, Farm, is hardly a new beginning for the alt-rock pioneers, but that is no reason to be deterred, as watching them cavalierly stroll the indie tightrope is as entertaining as ever. The only difference between Farm and their classic work, like 1987s seminal You’re Living All Over Me, is that some of the messier qualities (specifically the feedback) have been washed away – leading the effort to resemble grunge more than any Dinosaur Jr. album to date. This is amplified by J. Mascis’s age-eroded voice, which is beginning to have the timber of Eddie Vedder. But, man, does Mascis’s guitar still have that same glorious tone.
As languid as his groaning can be, there’s so much joy and excitement in Mascis’s lead guitar (searing, even). It’s clear he relishes each time he gets to show off just how much better he is at guitar than you. Case and point: “I Don’t Want to Go There,” Dinosaur Jr.’s stab at a sprawling, Neil Young-esque guitar epic, which is much in the vein of Young’s “Cowgirl in the Sand.” The song isn’t quite as inspired as that classic rock staple, but the guitar work is arguably better, with more than half of its nine minutes dedicated to Mascis’s guitar wonderfully twisting and soaring above the hook’s grimy squalls.
More on Dinosaur Jr. | Farm
Nas Writing New Album; Claims Hip-Hop Has Responsibility To “Keep Shit Crunchy” [Billboard]
Jay Reatard Thinks Pains of Being Pure at Heart is Boring and Therefore Hates Entirety of Brooklyn [Brooklyn Vegan]
Bring a Can of Squirt and See Girl Talk For Free (Wait, They Still Make Squirt?) [Pitchfork]
Nine Inch Nails’ Final Tour Announced – Four Confirmed New York Dates in August [Brooklyn Vegan]
Most Banal News Story of the Day: Panic at the Disco Re-Rename Themselves Panic! At the Disco [Idolator]
Scottland’s The Swell Season Record Announce New Album The Strict Joy [Spin]
Shellac(!), Crystal Castles(!), and Sufjan Stevens (!!!!) Added to All Tomorrow’s Parties New York [Brooklyn Vegan]
Leonard Cohen Feels “Hallelujah” Has Been Covered Too Many Times; Meanwhile, Some Highschooler Covers “Hallelujah” For Girlfriend [NME]Leon
Dinosaur Jr.’s Farm Recalled For Rocking Too Hard; Causing Deafness [Pitchfork]
Jay-Z Possibly To Release Book of Lyrical Explanations [Prefix]
Madonna Performs With Sunn O)); Picture is Unbelievably Awesome [Tripwire]
compiled by Max Sebela
Weekly Review
What are you doing on your computer on a day like today? Unless you’ve already got yourself in refresh-position to purchase these tickets, in front of the glowing screen is not where you should be. No, you should be out under the glowing sun, running around town in your new kicks (for the Chuck Taylor fans, for those who prefer Vans), listening to the Top 10, mapping out the record stores you’re going to hit up the Saturday after next or scouting out a park to name. But as long as you are here, I’m glad you’re spending your time constructively, brushing up on last week’s news, rather than procrastinating, watching some silly 90s-era music video. Though, wait a minute, that was part of last week’s news. Alright, I guess it’s okay then. Procrastinate away:
by Elana Jacobs
Woodstock Rarities Finally See Release [Billboard]
MoMA Showcases Exhibition on Early NYC Punks [Brooklyn Vegan]
Cat Power, Juliette Lewis, and the Pretenders Announce Tour Together [Pitchfork]
Bruce Springsteen Plays Last Ever Show at Giants’ Stadium [Brooklyn Vegan]
MTV Unplugged Gets Revived…Again [Idolator]
“Britain’s Got Talent” Star Susan Boyle Released From Mental Clinic [Billboard]
New Dinosaur Jr. Video For Farm Single “Over It” Hilariously Nineties [Idolator]
Mastodon Releases a Pair of Vans [Pitchfork]
Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon Chastises Radiohead’s “Pay-What-You-Will” Strategy [NME]
compiled by Max Sebela
Buy Bjork Box Set on a Budget [Prefix]
Swine Flu (Quite Literally) Stealing the Show [The Tripwire]
M.I.A. One of TIME’s 100 Most Influential [Pitchfork]
Download Free Dinosaur Jr. Farm MP3 [Brooklyn Vegan]
Neutral Milk Hotel Not Making Music, But Saving Carousels in Massachusetts [The Tripwire]
Lil Wayne Caught Up in Copyright Lawsuit [Prefix]
Justin Gets His Drink On [Idolator]
Datarock Track Pays Tribute to Talking Heads [SPIN]
Governors Island Having Host of Summer Shows [Brooklyn Vegan]
compiled by Elana Jacobs
