meandthestereo

Another version of the events of May 11th, 2008, in which Radiohead played a concert during Noah’s Second Flood, can be read here.

Go read the bloody thing!!!!

Artist: Radiohead
Venue: Nissan Amphitheatre, Bristow, VA
Date: 05/11/2008

Radiohead is powerful. It’s amazing stuff. It’s moving and uplifting. Forceful and exciting. It grabs you by the shirt collar and says, “Hey. It’s time to pay attention.” Radiohead is the visual and physical equivalent of Kurt Vonnegut’s trademark phrase, “Listen:”.

Radiohead was almost able to save last night, but it was just far too miserable. Read the rest of this entry →

My dear friends,

The Mog will be headed out to VA tonight to see Radiohead.

The Mog will tell you all about it.

Signed,

the Mog

**Edit**

This review will have to be posted by someone who could stand through torrential rainfalls and brisk winds. It was nasty out there, folks. It was real nasty.

McTwist?! Who the Hell are these guys and why should I give a f*ck!?

Maybe you shouldn’t, but I’d check them out.

These guys are good (I’ve yet to see them play live yet), but I do like their songs on their Myspace (which you can check out by going here: Here!)

And this site won’t do heartless plugging, so there’s actually substance to these guys. I really like Achilles Tendency (I think it’d be a great song to use if I ever make an 80’s pop film (and I could if I wanted to)), so check that one out and then check out Late Night, Long Day which I think is an interesting 50’s/90’s pop/rock song. Hope they make an album soon so I can give it a raving review (or completely destroy it ; ))!

Anyways, they’ve got these shows lined up in your area:

May 16th, 2008 @ the Sterling Community Center in Sterling, VA @ 8PM
May 24th, 2008 @ the Brass Monkey in Baltimore, MD @ 10PM

Oh, and they look like this:

Their music is better than their band pics, I promise. What the Hell are they doing in this picture??

Check ‘em out! See them live! Shave their armpits!

Artist: Murder By Death
Album: Red of Tooth and Claw
Label: Vagrant
Release Date: March 4th, 2008
Decision: 4/5 A Worthy Purchase Indeed
Favorite Tunes: “Comin’ Home”, “Theme”, “Spring Break 1899”

1. The Background

This is the fourth full release from Murder By Death, and my goodness, is it a good one. I really enjoyed Who Will Survive, and What Will be Left of Them? but thought In Bocca al Lupo was dissapointing, so I was hoping their latest release would get me excited again. For a broad idea of this band’s sound, think Westerny Folk Rock. Yeh. Modern music for that showdown you have at noon in front of the saloon.

2. The Substance

Acoustic guitars, electric guitars, keyboards, cellos and amazing vocals fill this album. Adam Turla’s vocals are really spot on here, and (did anyone notice?) his voice is so much deeper and more powerful than on previous releases. It’s like he aged 30 years in 3, but it’s really not a problem for the album; it adds to the overall feel. The lyrics are descriptive and very story-like (another of Mr. Turla’s talents), but the only thing lacking in them are the simple choruses. It doesn’t necessarily harm any of the songs; they just seem to be almost too simple for what I’d expect from this band. However, that was just a minor thing I noticed; the metaphors and imagery used in this album are excellent. Every instrument is recorded well, though I felt the keys could have been emphasized a bit more. They seem to get lost in the background a little more than I’d like in some of the busier songs. The arrangements are well done, though, and I especially enjoyed “Theme”, the only instrumental track on the album. This band seems to understand where lyrics aren’t essential to a song and the track serves as a good break from the action.

3. The Decision

4/5 A Worthy Purchase Indeed. Purchase this album! It may be something you’ve never really heard before (because it is different), but it’s definitely a good buy. Give it some time and you’ll most likely come around. It’s enjoyable beginning to end. Start this album anywhere between and it runs just as well. The last song is an especially interesting end to the story. These guys are also on tour right now, so look out for them around your area. I’m sure they’re great live.

Artist: She & Him
Album: Volume 1
Label: Merge
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Decision: 3/5 A Mediocre Minute
Favorite Tunes: “Sentimental Heart”, “Change is Hard”, “Untitled”

1. The Background

Zooey Deschanel, the popular actress from such movies as Elf, Eulogy and Winter Passing, has already proved that she has a voice. Mr. M. Ward, popular musician and supporter of shortening first names to single letters, has already proven his ability to make popular tunes. These two artists get together and decide to make an album. The world waits…and listens…

2. The Substance

First of all, this album has great sound quality, which is of no surprise since these two artists have essentially unlimited resources when it comes to recording. There are a couple of songs where Mr. Ward and Ms. Deschanel even went lo-fi and that’s a welcome sound that adds a little warmth to such high quality songs. Ms. Deschanel’s vocals are crisp and clear and are certainly the center of every track. This album has 13 songs, with one untitled tune at the end (a cover of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”) and is the perfect length for an album. There are two covers that I know of on this album, one being the above reference and a cover of Smoky Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me”. The songs deal with love and romance and are mostly energetic, minimalistic and well organized.

3. The Decision

3/5 A Mediocre Minute. I wanted to LOVE this album. I wanted it to rock me so hard I’d have to listen to other albums constantly to keep these songs out of my head. I was looking forward to Zooey Deschanel’s strong and soulful voice singing me songs of broken heartedness and pain. I wanted to be dragged back to a time where soul and rhythm & blues were powerful. Perhaps that was my mistake, though. I expected something and didn’t get it. I realized that the first time I listened to the whole album. I wanted something Ms. Deschanel and Mr. Ward didn’t want to give. Ms. Deschanel wanted to sing love songs with simple lyrics and melodies and I realized that was fine. It’s still not that great, though. I adore the first song. It’s Zooey’s cute voice with a cute melody and a nice ending. The rest of the songs are just a bit mediocre, though, and other than the almost acapella Untitled, her voice doesn’t hit that soul power that she has in her. Mr. Ward’s music arrangements are simple and far from being fascinating or ground breaking. And his added whispery, shaky vocals DO NOT jive with the strong, smooth flow of Ms. Deschanel’s voice. The songs where he does add backup would have done well without him. This album is worth a listen, but you won’t be missing anything spectacular if you happen to let it pass by. Hopefully all the good songs have been reserved for “Volume 2″.