Just Announced

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Nice.

Isn't "Clearlake" one word?

I believe so

Wow! That is like triple YAY!!!

I wanna see the decemberists again.

Excellent show for the Bawlmer folks…

the Legendary Shack Shakers, Ottobar Fri, 2/28

Sonick you better go to that one…

Originally posted by mark e smith:
Markie likes the national a lot. They were great supporting the Penis Brothers in NY.

The National and Elefant seem like an odd bill…

Elefant:

Elefant frontman Diego Garcia must have memorized nearly every song by the Cure while he was growing up, because his band's debut album, Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid, is a shameless, abstract pop mix, a solid indie pop record heavy in new wave aesthetics. Tripping Two-Tone percussion swirls around glossy synth beats, and Garcia's Morrissey-like dark vocal softness fits his passionate, undying lyrical wishes for that perfect love. One listen to the shimmery synth waves of "Tonight Let's Dance" will reel you into Garcia's storybook imagination, which is both poetically sweet and wild. Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid isn't defenseless with its innocence either, for Mod's feverish guitar work is a great fit to Garcia's lyrical daydreams, particularly on the honeyed punk number "Make Up." A more sullen mood whirls on "Now That I Miss Her," while the title track shimmies with electronic bits for Elefant's most dramatic moment yet. Garcia's near goth-like monotone vocals are a cool move for "Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid" and its underlying melancholy; however, a lush chorus quickly shatters the humdrum. Elefant has carefully crafted an album that's not derivative of the group's garage rock counterparts. Such a task is a difficult one, but Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid brilliantly pulls it off without being overly stylish. â?? MacKenzie Wilson

The National (opening for Elefant)

This Ohio-based band strikes a lush, adorable balance between the country-pop of bands such as Jayhawks and Golden Smog and the gloomy, depressing crooning of Tom Waits. Lead singer Matt Berninger manages to transcend leveling the fine background with some reflection and introspection on "Cold Girl Fever" and "Watching You Well." The country hues touched on in "American Mary" are only surpassed by the album's perfect song "Theory of the Crows," a morbid waltz through loneliness and loss. Throughout it all, the band manages not only to exceed their pigeonholed genres but gives a fresh perspective with brilliantly crafted numbers. Starting up where Wilco left off with their Summerteeth album, the group delivers a generous heaping of Americana and alt-country. Brilliant. â?? Jason MacNeil

Originally posted by pollard:
a couple new ones at the Black Cat

SAT MAR 6- THE UNDERTONES $15 mainstage 9:30
TUES MAR 23- THE DECEMBERISTS, CLEAR LAKE $10 mainstage 8:30

Do we know if this is the original Undertones lineup? Another band for which I have no albums…guess I paid too much attention to the Buzzcocks at the expense of others….

Originally posted by pollard:
British Sea Power - 03-15 - Black Cat

hmmmm - TicketMaster is showing Mike Doughty on 3/15, with no mention of British Sea Power.

blackcatdc.com shows Mike Doughty on 3/13 and BSP on 3/15.

Has there been a change?

Will I guess the undertones will be missing Fergal Sharkey….. The old lead singer.

That description of the national is miles off. And the elefant one isnt great. Elefant sound like interpol. The national sound quite British to me. Its not at all like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, or else I would not like it.

Originally posted by mark e smith:
Its not at all like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, or else I would not like it.

you have listened to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot so many times haven't you

Originally posted by Skeeter:

Originally posted by pollard:
British Sea Power - 03-15 - Black Cat

hmmmm - TicketMaster is showing Mike Doughty on 3/15, with no mention of British Sea Power.

blackcatdc.com shows Mike Doughty on 3/13 and BSP on 3/15.

Has there been a change?

When I go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/172044
I see BSP on 3-15 and no mention of Doughty.

Originally posted by mark e smith:
That description of the national is miles off. The national sound quite British to me. Its not at all like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, or else I would not like it.

Well, I was kind of wondering…..

I have listened to it maybe once, but they played three songs off of it on woxy, to death. It is not like them.

But Bags got the National review after the first album, the review of the second album is easier to stomach….. But I still hear a bigger UK influence than the reviewer concedes.


For a band that's been compared to Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, Wilco, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the National sure sounds a lot more like the Czars or Uncle Tupelo on this sophomore album Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. Where the band might lack Joy Division's angular fury, Cohen's existentialism, and Cave's vampiric attack, vocalist Matt Berninger and company whip up a murky alt country meets chamber pop vibe that's quite potent. The five-piece mostly keeps things on the country side of the fence during the album's first half, as slide guitars and fiddles overpower just about any hint of rock styling except the drumbeat, occasional feedback, and some screeching guitar freak-outs. Toward the album's close, the songs' textures finally shift from country to indie rock. Berningeris more than content to roam pastures featuring small patches of emo, sadcore, and artsy strings, clearly wearing his influences on his sleeve. Indeed, album-opener "Cardinal Song" could very easily be mistaken for the Tindersticks or Cousteau, with a passage that is a virtual note for note reconstruction of a Red House Painters song. Though the band focuses on slow atmospheric songs, it's when it kicks out the jams that the music is the most compelling. Case in point is "Slipping Husband," with its fine melodic waves and a perfectly placed bout of screaming. "Trophy Wife" presents yet another influence; the song seems a dead ringer for the Shins. It's hard to shake the feeling that the National is highly influenced by and studied in the bands it emulates, but the album is still worth a listen for fans of moody country-tinged lounge music. With so many influences rearing their heads and ample musical chops in the bag, the National might not be masters of any one genre, but it creates a fine amalgam nonetheless. – Tim DiGravina

Another band for which I have no albums…

bags

let me know if you want me to burn you some undertones stuff

What do you have Brennser? I think I only have the first album.

Originally posted by Bags:
Do we know if this is the original Undertones lineup? Another band for which I have no albums…guess I paid too much attention to the Buzzcocks at the expense of others….

Rumor has it Feargal Sharkey (the singer) is gone. I highly recommend "The Very Best of the Undertones" from Ryko. Great overview of a great band.

Originally posted by brennser:

Another band for which I have no albums…

bags

let me know if you want me to burn you some undertones stuff

Hmmm, I feel a trade in the making…. ;) I'd love whatever you've got. I definitely am going to that show.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:

Originally posted by Skeeter:

Originally posted by pollard:
British Sea Power - 03-15 - Black Cat

hmmmm - TicketMaster is showing Mike Doughty on 3/15, with no mention of British Sea Power.

blackcatdc.com shows Mike Doughty on 3/13 and BSP on 3/15.

Has there been a change?

When I go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/172044
I see BSP on 3-15 and no mention of Doughty.

I must have caught them in the middle of an update or something. thx.

Originally posted by mark e smith:
But Bags got the National review after the first album, the review of the second album is easier to stomach….. But I still hear a bigger UK influence than the reviewer concedes.

Pitchfork namechecks Wilco and Bruce Springsteen in their reviews of the National. Splendidezine calls them "a less countrified Will Oldham."

Here's a comparison to Tears for Fears

This one calls it a cross between Wilco and Morrissey

Thanks GGW, those 2 reviews were closer to my thoughts.

They have been playing this on WOXY:

I saw my love with pretty boy
I saw my love with pretty boy

murder me Rachael I made a mistake
I loved her to ribbons
loved her to ribbons
murder me Rachael I made a mistake
murder me Rachael
murder me Rachael

I saw my love with pretty boy
I saw my love with pretty boy
so say goodbye to pretty boy
just say goodbye to pretty boy

her pretty little ribbons
her pretty little name
sew it in my skin
never go away
her pretty little ribbons
her pretty little name
sew it in my skin
never go away

I saw my love with pretty boy
I saw my love with pretty boy
so say goodbye to pretty boy
just say goodbye to pretty boy
tomorrow won't be pretty
tomorrow won't be pretty

love her to ribbons
love her to ribbons
love her to ribbons
love her to ribbons
love her to ribbons

What do you have Brennser? I think I only have the first album.

I have the greatest hits on CD and am getting a burn of the new CD from a friend

"He's gotta degree in economics
Maths - physics and bionics
He thinks that I'm a cabbage
Cos I hate university challenge
Even at the age of ten
Smart boy Kevin was a smart boy then
He always beat me at Subbuteo
Cos he flicked the kick
And I didn't know
Oh my perfect cousin"

I am halfway through the National album, and my quick review is a sedate Nick Cave fronting Nixon era Lambchop, of course I reserve the right to change my mind afther giving more thought to the matter