Dan Deacon- Live with ensemble in Brooklyn
Ponytail- playing in a laundromat
Playing at Rubble's in Mt. Pleasant on May 1. Tickets
31 March, 2009
29 March, 2009
Top 10 Albums of 2009 thus far (through March 29)
My picks for the top 10 albums of the first quarter of 2009:
#1 Fever Ray- Fever Ray
#2 Dan Deacon- Bromst
3. Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion
#4 Handsome Furs- Face Control
#5 Lotus Plaza- The Floodlight Collective
#6 Condo Fucks- Fuckbook
#7 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
#8 William Elliott Whitmore- Animals in the Dark
#9 Matt Jones- The Black Path
#10 Dan Aeurbach- Keep It Hid
10 March, 2009
Franz Nicolay-Major General (Fistolo-2009)
Franz Nicolay-Major General
Fistolo Records: 2009
Released 1/13/2009
SCORE: 7.5
Franz Nicolay must never sleep. Between playing keyboards in The Hold Steady, he's also in World/Inferno Friendship Society, doing collaborations with the likes of The Dresden Dolls and others, AND he plays some solo shows in there too. Not just a guy with a guitar....okay, a guy with a guitar, accordion, and a banjo. As he pointed out at a recent show "a survey was done by a college class that found that accordion and banjo are America's two least favorite instruments".
That may be true, but Franz' use of them is quite charming on this his first proper solo LP. The first song on the album might be the strong point, if only because it is the most rocking track. "Jeff Penalty" is a song about the new singer for the Dead Kennedy's after Jello Biafra left the band. The track is a rocking sing along type song, probably the only track of the like on the album.
The rest of the album goes between songs about being young with his father to drinking songs (of course...the Hold Steady know how to put them back) to songs about finding an apartment in Brooklyn with hardwood floors (it's harder than you might think, he says).
In all, for his first proper LP, Franz does not disappoint, though some might point out the obvious influence playing in the Hold Steady has had on his songs, I wouldn't go as far as to call it "watered down Hold Steady" as some critics have. I quite like Major General and I hope you will too.
That may be true, but Franz' use of them is quite charming on this his first proper solo LP. The first song on the album might be the strong point, if only because it is the most rocking track. "Jeff Penalty" is a song about the new singer for the Dead Kennedy's after Jello Biafra left the band. The track is a rocking sing along type song, probably the only track of the like on the album.
The rest of the album goes between songs about being young with his father to drinking songs (of course...the Hold Steady know how to put them back) to songs about finding an apartment in Brooklyn with hardwood floors (it's harder than you might think, he says).
In all, for his first proper LP, Franz does not disappoint, though some might point out the obvious influence playing in the Hold Steady has had on his songs, I wouldn't go as far as to call it "watered down Hold Steady" as some critics have. I quite like Major General and I hope you will too.
TOUR DATES:
THE HOLD STEADY w/ War on Drugs
Mar 29 - Baltimore, MD @ Reecher Theatre
Mar 30 - NYC @ Irving Plaza
Mar 31 - Albany, NY @ Valentine's
Apr 2 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin College Fine Arts Center
Apr 3 - Urbana, IL @ Illini Courtyard Cafe
Apr 4 - Bloomington, IN @ Jake's Nightclub
Apr 6 - St. Louis, MO @ The Gargoyle
Apr 7 - Iowa City, IA @ Picador
Apr 8 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
Apr 10 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theater
Apr 11 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Apr 14 - Stateline, NV @ Harrah's Tahoe South Shore Room
Apr 15 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's Night Club
Apr 17 - Indio, CA - Coachella Festival
FRANZ NICOLAY WEST COAST
all shows w/ Moneybrother
Apr 20 - TBA
Apr 21 - Bottom Of The Hill, SF CA
Apr 23 - Ike Box, Salem, OR
Apr 24 - Sunset Tavern (late show), Seattle, WA
Apr 25 - East End, Portland, OR
Apr 27 - The Press Club, Sacramento, CA
Apr 28 - The Cellar Door, Visalia, CA
Apr 29 - Spaceland, LA CA
THE HOLD STEADY w/ War on Drugs
Mar 29 - Baltimore, MD @ Reecher Theatre
Mar 30 - NYC @ Irving Plaza
Mar 31 - Albany, NY @ Valentine's
APRIL 2009Apr 1 - Buffalo, NY @ The Tralf Music Hall
Apr 2 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin College Fine Arts Center
Apr 3 - Urbana, IL @ Illini Courtyard Cafe
Apr 4 - Bloomington, IN @ Jake's Nightclub
Apr 6 - St. Louis, MO @ The Gargoyle
Apr 7 - Iowa City, IA @ Picador
Apr 8 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
Apr 10 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theater
Apr 11 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Apr 14 - Stateline, NV @ Harrah's Tahoe South Shore Room
Apr 15 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's Night Club
Apr 17 - Indio, CA - Coachella Festival
FRANZ NICOLAY WEST COAST
all shows w/ Moneybrother
Apr 20 - TBA
Apr 21 - Bottom Of The Hill, SF CA
Apr 23 - Ike Box, Salem, OR
Apr 24 - Sunset Tavern (late show), Seattle, WA
Apr 25 - East End, Portland, OR
Apr 27 - The Press Club, Sacramento, CA
Apr 28 - The Cellar Door, Visalia, CA
Apr 29 - Spaceland, LA CA
Handsome Furs-Face Control (Sub Pop-2009)
Handsome FursFace Control
Sub Pop: 2009
Released 3/10/2009
SCORE: 9
Dan Boeckner is a busy man. What with releasing the great At Mount Zoomer with his band Wolf Parade, touring the world with them AND touring the world with his beautiful wife in their band Handsome Furs. Oh yeah, they found time to record a real gem in there somehow too.
Face Control starts of with a real toe tapper "Legal Tender". They were playing many of these songs on their August tour and this is one song I definitely remember. Alexi's beats and synths are much more prevailant on this album than they were on Plague Park in my opinion, and that's a good thing.
Face Control is again chock full of great songs with catchy beats and interesting themes. Handsome Furs definitely are not afraid to be a little racy, and why not? They are hot as hell
on stage together. Definitely one of the coolest stage dynamics I've seen in a good long while. I guess that's what you get in a band where the two members are married.
At 11 tracks clocking in at just over 37 minutes, it's a rather short album just as Plague Park was. (2 tracks are short 90 second or so interludes). Short isn't always bad, in fact, sometimes having a 35-40 minute album allows the entire work to seem more free flowing and cohesive. Some albums seem to drag on forever, not the case with Face Control. This album will be on my playlist for quite some time.
Face Control starts of with a real toe tapper "Legal Tender". They were playing many of these songs on their August tour and this is one song I definitely remember. Alexi's beats and synths are much more prevailant on this album than they were on Plague Park in my opinion, and that's a good thing.
Face Control is again chock full of great songs with catchy beats and interesting themes. Handsome Furs definitely are not afraid to be a little racy, and why not? They are hot as hell
on stage together. Definitely one of the coolest stage dynamics I've seen in a good long while. I guess that's what you get in a band where the two members are married.
At 11 tracks clocking in at just over 37 minutes, it's a rather short album just as Plague Park was. (2 tracks are short 90 second or so interludes). Short isn't always bad, in fact, sometimes having a 35-40 minute album allows the entire work to seem more free flowing and cohesive. Some albums seem to drag on forever, not the case with Face Control. This album will be on my playlist for quite some time.
Tour Dates:
03-12 Ottowa, Ontario - Mavericks
03-13 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern
03-14 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
03-15 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
03-16 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
03-17 Columbia, MO - Mojo's
03-20 Austin, TX - Club Deville (SXSW)
03-21 Dallas, TX - The Loft
03-23 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon
03-25 Fargo, ND - Aquarium (Dempsey's Upstairs)
03-26 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
03-27 Ames, IA - Maintenance Shop
03-28 Iowa City, IA - The Mill
03-30 Newport, KY - Southgate House
04-01 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
04-02 Syracuse, NY - Spark Art Space
03-12 Ottowa, Ontario - Mavericks
03-13 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern
03-14 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
03-15 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
03-16 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
03-17 Columbia, MO - Mojo's
03-20 Austin, TX - Club Deville (SXSW)
03-21 Dallas, TX - The Loft
03-23 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon
03-25 Fargo, ND - Aquarium (Dempsey's Upstairs)
03-26 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
03-27 Ames, IA - Maintenance Shop
03-28 Iowa City, IA - The Mill
03-30 Newport, KY - Southgate House
04-01 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
04-02 Syracuse, NY - Spark Art Space
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