Islands - Great American Music Hall - 11/9/06

I thought things had changed since last time. For almost the entire show, Nick Diamonds (of Islands) was fun and sweet and very different from the guy who admonished me during the last show. But then towards the end, his true nature came out. After this one outburst, he returned to the lovable facade he had shown for the previous hour, but it felt really hollow after that. We knew he was a good showman, but now it is obvious that he's also a good actor, but can slip out of character from time to time.

Islands started out their show in their matching all-white attire (as per usual).

Nick had his back facing the audience for the first verse of Humans, and when he spun around, you could see that he had a mannequin's head under his head, looking a little like Kuato from Total Recall. He also put a noose around his neck and rolled around on the floor a bit during the song. The theatrics continued after Humans when Nick left the stage to apply white make-up to his face. After that, however, things progressed in a typical fashion. I guess he didn't feel the need to go full tilt towards Of Montreal territory.

Highlights of the show were Where There's A Wish There's A Whalebone, which had Subtitle come on stage to rap, the rubber-band coffee can thing for Jogging Gorgeous Summer, an amazing set closing rendition of (potential song-of-the-year) Rough Gem, and a strong Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby to start the encore.

The unfortunate aspect of this otherwise rather enjoyable experience was an interaction with a guy in the audience. Some time in the middle of the set, someone yelled out "Jellybones," requesting a Unicorns song. Nick heard this and asked, "Who said 'Jellybones?'" The guy responded by raising his hand and repeating his request. Nick then yelled, "Say 'Jellybones' one more time! I triple-dog dare you!" And when the guy didn't respond, Nick said, "That's what I thought. Now shut the fuck up, motherfucker!" I need to stress that Nick was very serious. I'm glad the guy didn't say anything since Nick seemed a bit unhinged and could have gone Tweedy on him. All I could do is give a knowing look to the kid next to me that I told the story about the time Nick yelled at me.

I don't know what was more disturbing: the immediate reaction to someone who was just requesting a song (imagine if he had requested Freebird!) or the way he went right back to the cucumberesque indie rock frontman. I can only conclude that Nick Diamonds is a dick and maybe a bit unstable. And since Nick reads Jealousy, I just hope he doesn't come after me one day. He should know that I do think his music is amazing and Islands is one of the best bands making music now. Listen to the tracks below. They're all poppy and accessible but still have a great deal of complexity.

Here is the set list from the show. I think when I can, I'll try to grab a picture of the set list for the sake of history.

Islands - Rough Gem

Islands - Abominable Snowman

Islands - Where There's A Wish There's A Whalebone

Voxtrot - Great American Music Hall - 11/4/06

Ramesh, the lead singer of Voxtrot, is stalking me. It started on the 2nd when for about an hour he was yelling at me. Then on the 3rd, he followed me to The Knife's show. Finally, he was at Great American on the 4th, barking at me again. I wasn't expecting him to be at The Knife's show, but I did know that there were going to be two Voxtrot shows in 3 days. Ambitiously, I decided to go to both. Totally check out my my previous review so you don't miss any inside jokes.

Really, having seen them two days earlier, I think all I can do is compare and contrast the two performances, in list form.

Popscene	GAMH
Crowd was young and oh-so indie	Crowd was tall
Set was really short	Set was covered just about everything they play
The sound was typical	The guitars sounded fucking amazing; the best I've heard in a while
Went with Annie	Went with Danielle, Jason, Jon

I think both venues have their pros and cons, but really the intimate setting and short set list of Popscene helped Voxtrot. They just came off better there. But they did sound really good at Great American. So I hesitantly give the nod to the first show.

Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, & Wives

Voxtrot - Trouble

Voxtrot - The Start Of Something

The Knife - Mezzanine - 11/3/06

The Knife is really hyped right now. Elbo.ws shows this duo as one of their hottest artists. And the combination of blog buzz and the fact that they had played a dozen shows ever (and only 1 in America) when they rolled into San Francisco made a ticket to the show more valuable to a hipster than a prenup to Britney.

When I got into the venue, the stage was already set with their various contraptions, and the floor was full of the hippest of hipsters (one guy was dressed like the dude from Thunderdome... I don't remember if he was Master or Blaster). The show itself was the "band" behind a semi-transparent screen wearing Planet of the Apes masks (I think they were actually just ski masks with extra holes) smeared with black-light paint. Various geometric shapes and cartoons were projected onto the screen and also on the wall behind them. As for their playing, I don't know if they actually did any of that. The guy, Olof, had some hot orange drum sticks that he would bang on things occasionally. This might have affected some of the drum beats, but I doubt it. The girl, Karin, moved her mouth with the words. Some times it looked like she was singing, and others it looked like lip-synching.

The think you should know about The Knife is that you can't see anything. The stage is incredibly dark and there's that stupid screen in front of them. And the band (other than a few times when Olof went to town with the fake drumming) just stood there. For all the hype about how amazing the live show is, I don't get it. There were certainly points when the music was really good and the crowd was really into it and there was dancing and I'm sure someone felt it was magical/spiritual/life-changing. Of the people I saw the show with (Jason, Jon, Ian, Aida, Danielle, Amy), some liked the show a lot more than I did. Ultimately, I just felt like it was a DJ set where everyone was looking in the same direction.

The Knife said that they originally didn't tour because they had a hard time making a live version of their music compelling. Well, I think they still need to work on that a bit. But listen to the track below. These guys certainly got something.

The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health

Voxtrot / Love Is All - Popscene - 11/2/06

"Charming" was the theme for the night. Both Voxtrot and Love Is All are quite charismatic and have the ability to win over people who come to their show but don't know their music. Annie and I got to Popscene early enough to watch Love Is All, hearing ahead of time that they put on a kick-ass live show. The studio versions of Love Is All's songs are okay and definitely have merit, but they're not really enjoyable in the normal sense.

Their live act, on the other hand, is quite enjoyable. The staccato yell-sing words over the crowded background of guitars, drums, and sax seems to resonate in your body. Apparently these Swedes have tapped into the alligator portion of our brains. It's difficult not comparing them to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I mean they both have strong female leads with convoluted, noisy, artsy music. Listen to Talk Talk Talk Talk (below) and tell me that you couldn't see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs playing that. In short, despite their harsh sound, they won me over.

Voxtrot didn't need to win me over, they had me at hello. Ramesh is one of the best frontmen around. He makes girls swoon and boys question their sexuality. His playful style and bad dance moves are very enduring. His personality perfectly matches the light and hooky (yet still complex and interesting) music the band plays. The set was short (as all Popscene sets are), but they played enough new stuff to make me have doubts about their full-length debut. Their first two EPs are magical, but Your Biggest Fan seems to be a little too repetitive. I think a good producer could point them in the right direction though.

But don't think that I didn't like their performance. But I've seen them 4 times in the last year (my review from May and I'll have another review up shortly). I want them to evolve, and I think they're trying to move forward, I just think they need a little help.

Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, & Wives

Voxtrot - Trouble

Voxtrot - The Start Of Something

Love Is All - Talk Talk Talk Talk

Love Is All - Busy Doing Nothing

Beirut - Great American Music Hall - 10/20/06

Damn, Beirut is good. Maybe it's because they are young and haven't been jaded by the constant touring needed to support a fringe indie-rock band, but Beirut is still willing to comply to fans' requests and still enjoy performing. This has been one of the best shows of the past year, with lots of energy, a few surprises, and a crowd that was putty in the muscular hands of Zach Condon and his Orkestar.

When I saw them in Cambridge, MA, back in June, they still had their training wheels on. But now that they're playing places like Great American, and bringing their Eastern-European influenced rock to the masses (by the way, did anyone catch Siki, Siki Baba in Borat?). From adorable Kristen to cracked-out Paul, the band has a lot of personality and it comes through during the performance.

As they pushed through a lot of their album material, they pleased every person around me (and presumably everyone in the place, it felt like I knew about half the people at the show, too many to name). But the reason people will be talking about this show a year from now is that the encores were impromptu, having members jump into the audience. They tried to close the night with their version of Siki, Siki Baba, with half the band in the audience playing trumpets toward the ceiling. But the crowd demanded more. They came back to play one more song, Carousels, and it looked like they wanted to keep playing all night, but Zach proclaimed, "We have no more songs" before leaving the stage for good.

Please buy the album, go to the shows, and tell your friends about Beirut. We need more music and more musicians like this.

Beruit - Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)

Beirut - Postcards From Italy

Beirut - Siki, Siki Baba (live in Cambridge, MA) Read the excellent review at Bradley's Almanac and download the whole set.

The Decemberists - Warfield - 10/19/06

I've seen The Decemberists more than any other band. Or at least I think I have. I've seen them 8 times, give or take. Essentially every time they have come through San Francisco, I've been able to watch Colin and gang. My first Decemberists show was in a cafeteria at UC Santa Cruz. It looked like a high school talent show. Well the beans don't burn on the grill any more for the Decemberists. (As an aside, once on the way out of a Decemberists show, Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, grabbed my ass... or maybe he just bumped into me. But it felt like there was some cupping.)

With a big record contract, the Decemberists got a touring budget that allowed them some Chinese lamps. But really, they seem like they're doing the same-old show, which is good and bad. Other than the really cool grab-someone's-cell-phone-and-sing-to-the-dude-on-the-other-side bit, there really wasn't anything new. And definitely nothing that really grabbed me. Without Petra Haden along for the ride (or Rachel Blumberg beating the skins), I felt like there wasn't as much personality on stage. Or maybe it's just becoming the Colin Meloy show and the rest of the band is taking a back seat.

I'll keep seeing the Decemberists when they pass through (even if it's at a bad venue like the Warfield), even if they're sliding down my live bands ranking. But there is a point when listening to the albums and remembering the shows is enough. I just hope the Decemberists break up or I get old before that happens.

The Decemberists - July! July!

The Decemberists - Shiny

The Decemberists - The Soldiering Life

The Hold Steady - Great American Music Hall - 10/17/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

People keep calling The Hold Steady a bar band. I think that's a little off. They certainly play blue collar music. But in every one of their songs there's a bridge or a play on words or some other indication that these guys can really write and play music. And that what makes these guys special. They can play the three-chord verse, the three-chord chorus, and then blow you out of the water with some tempo change between them.

At the show, Danielle (who I convinced to go since their new album got a mind-blowing 9.4 at Pitchfork) and I were sandwiched between the sorts of people that would see a bar band. Maybe that isn't clear since you might be thinking these people were drinking alcohol or were wearing leather jackets: the crowd smelled. Really bad. Sex Panther bad. And the crowd was taller than normal. Maybe the two things are related with my nose being closer to the collective armpits and ass of the audience.

The one thing that really came through is that The Hold Steady really enjoy playing live. And they really love their own music. The lead singer's signature move is to sing a line into the microphone then move over to an audience member and re-sing that line directly to him. Kind of in that that-last-line-was-so-fucking-cool-that-I-have-to-say-it-again way. You know the girl at a My Chemical Romance (or similar mall punk music that is prepackaged for angsty tweeners) concert that treats the liner notes like the Bible and thinks the lead singer wrote that song just for her, that's the lead singer about his own band!

For the last song, the band brought a significant portion of the audience up onto the stage with them. Danielle and I stayed back in fear of an even more concentrated odor. The most mind-blowing part of the show was before everyone got up on stage, the guitarist asked a kid in the audience if he could play guitar. The kid said he could and was promptly pulled up on stage and given the guitar. Here's the crazy part: he could actually play! And not just chords, the guy was doing some impressive solos. I've been to plenty of shows where the band will hand someone a tambourine and the chosen one can't even tap out some quarter notes. Having a crowd member playing guitar is like finding out that your toddler can drive a manual-transmission car.

The Hold Steady - Your Little Hoodrat Friend

The Hold Steady - Swish

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Warfield - 10/13/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Is Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! the prototype of how bands operate and music is created in the next decade? Their internet savvy and lack of label (in the US at least) makes you think that this model of self-publishing and promotion might just work. But CYHSY is a different beast than most bands. For starters, they make truly excellent and innovative music. People who like their music are willing to put some effort into finding it. This isn't the model with which Ashlee Simpson could succeed.

But I shouldn't get too involved in the economics of the music industry. I won't stray too far from the formula: concert reviews and bad pictures. I hope you agree that the picture on the side is bad. As for the concert review, I suggest you read my review of the last time I saw them. Having seen them before and feeling conflicted about their live show, I didn't exactly know what to expect. But apparently CYHSY reads Jealousy because this time around they kept the best, high-energy parts of their show and dropped the slow snoozers. Almost every song was fast and that allowed everyone to sway/dance/shake that ass during the show.

The best part of the show had to be the encore where they turned the Christmas lights on and played some favorites. They finished with Satan Said Dance. That really is a great finisher. It isn't anything particularly special other than being a rocker that everyone can sing along to. Putting it in the middle of a set would just be a waste an probably disrupt the flow of said set. But putting it at the end lets you leave the shithouse that is the Warfield with a good taste in your mouth. I didn't take a straw poll, but I think Danielle, Jon, and Jason (who saw the show with me) would agree.

As a postscript, I ponder how a band that owes its success to the internet doesn't have a single song to download on its website.

Thunderbirds Are Now! - Bottom of the Hill - 10/12/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

If you like live music (and I know you do!), you like Thunderbirds Are Now!. (As an aside, was I supposed to put a period after the exclamation point? I feel like all of this extra punctuation is making my third grade teacher spread the jam.) TAN! gives the best basic live show out there. Sure, bands like the Flaming Lips and Of Montreal can put on a good show, but it really is a lot of theatrics combined with the music. TAN! is just raw energy.

But when you've got a guy doing hand stands and the jumping-over-his-own-leg dance move, you know you've got something special. I've seen TAN! twice now, and they've killed both times. They have a new album out, which might not be quite as good as their last one, but still has many solid (and a few excellent) tracks on it.

The recipe for a TAN! show is 1) Start with a typical rock show 2) Increase the energy to as high as you've seen 3) Throw in a bunch of danceable beats 4) Get the audience involved by dancing in the audience and/or giving audience members tambourines 5) Have one band member walk that knife's edge of stage antics and real insanity. I think the only thing that could have made the show better is if there were more people there. The place was maybe half full. I don't understand that, but maybe the next time they come through town we can give them a better welcoming.

A big bonus is that these guys hail from Detroit. And the bass player graduated college with me (although I didn't know him then).

Thunderbirds Are Now! - Eat This City

Thunderbirds Are Now! - Eat This City (Video)

Cold War Kids - Mezzanine - 10/7/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

The Cold War Kids are a unique band. Their sound is hard to explain. I feel like they're a jam band without jamming. They're a blues/soul band from LA. Really the best thing to say is that the music is strong and pierces through you, like if Bruce Springsteen wrote gospel music.

The kids are true performers too. I think there are some people who understand that being in a band is a job and you have to work when you're on stage. It doesn't mean you have to be mechanical, but you need to put effort into it. CWK understands this. Between the emotional singing, slightly odd setup (piano facing the wall, loose cymbal on a wooden box), and requisite dancing, there was always something that caught your eye and kept you involved.

I went with Amy, Vania, Brittany, Melissa, and Melissa's brother (and his friends). Melissa apparently grew up with the band members and went to church with them. Hopefully that means that no matter how big they get, I'll always have a ticket.

Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds

Cold War Kids - Tell Me In The Morning

Cold War Kids - The Soloist In The Living Room

Cold War Kids - Heavy Boots

We Are Scientists / Art Brut / Spinto Band - Fillmore - 10/2/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Finally a show that I wanted to see everyone performing. As anyone who goes to shows knows, you typically get some band you've never heard of opening for the band you're going to see. This can be a good thing when you discover someone new. But more likely it's just something you have to wait through. But when three bands you want to see play on the same stage, you're just getting more bang for your buck. And that's my first concern when it comes to concerts: value.

Performing at the Fillmore was The Spinto Band (who I saw twice in March), Art Brut, and We Are Scientists. I've been a fan of The Spinto Band for about a year now. I first heard Art Brut through Rock Club (a little mix tape exchange I'm a part of), and have heard through friends that they put on a good show. Nora at I Rock, I Roll pumped the band, which is where I first heard Lousy Reputation, and enticed me to buy the album. And after reading YANP's enthusiastic review of one of their shows, I was hyped.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

I showed up at the show with Susan and met up with John, Ian, Marissa, and a few others. I also ran into this couple that I've seen at a bunch of shows, including the last Spinto Band show. The crowd seemed to like Spinto Band okay, and although I thought they were really good, it wasn't quite the performance as the last time I saw them. Maybe it was the crowd didn't know them or because the Fillmore stage is so high, but it just wasn't like Cafe du Nord. Art Brut, however, had no problem with the crowd or the stage. This was a commanding performance, and you had no choice but compliance. They were high energy during the songs and funny between, saying stuff like

"If Jay-Z were here, he'd say 'Eddie, you've got 99 problems, but the bitch ain't one.' And I'd say 'Jay-Z, I don't appreciate your misogynistic words, but you are correct.'"

Stuff like that makes people into fans. That and jumping into the crowd to sing a song. And proclaiming yourself and the rest of your tour "top of the pops" several times.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

We Are Scientists are a really entertaining band. They won't change your life; their music just isn't that introspective or complicated. But the music is fun and the banter is pretty good. I'll try to recount one of the many sessions

Keith: I know Eddie told you that he got his wisdom teeth pulled a week ago and now because of the medicine he's taking this is the first sober show Art Brut has done in years. And he says it's the "real" Art Brut. But let me tell you something, a few months ago we tried a sober show, and it sucked!

Chris: That's our guarantee: always drunk.

Keith (lifting his glass): I'll drink to that.

Chris (lifting his glass): It's all a lie. This is non-alcoholic. That was an unexpected twist to that anecdote.

The real downside to We Are Scientists is that their catalog is kind of small. But maybe after their next release, they'll have the depth necessary to really be more about the music and less about the banter.

We Are Scientists - Inaction

Andrew Bird - Great American Music Hall - 9/22/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Andrew Bird is simply amazing. Then why did I not stay for the encore?

Ben, Jason, Annie, Danielle, and I met up at Great American to see the creator of my favorite album of last year. The first thing you notice when hearing him is that he has complete control over ever sound that emanates from his body. His whistling is incredible. At first I didn't even think it was real, it came so effortlessly.

And despite his mastery of stringed instruments, I was still disappointed by the show. The place was really hot, so being physically uncomfortable didn't help anything. But the big issue is that he played mostly new material. I hadn't heard this stuff and although it sounded pretty good, I didn't appreciate it the same way I did when he sang the songs I've listened to a hundred times, dissecting the lyrics, and hearing the subtle inflections in his voice. And the smaller issue is that when he sang his "classics," he sang them erratically, as if the album versions bored him so much that he wished he didn't have to sing them at all.

So after he finished his set, my group decided to take off, leaving the sweaty room for some party. I'm sure the encore was everything I was missing during the normal set, but I had had enough.

As one last note, Andrew Bird can actually use looping pedals, unlike Feist who sucks at looping even more than she sucks at playing guitar.

Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left

Listen to the entire album here

Ratatat - Sproul Plaza - 9/19/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Thank you Superb! They keep bringing great concerts to Berkeley. I've seen Ozma (twice), Matt Sharp, and a bunch of other concerts for free or cheap because of them (and they're bringing Sufjan to Berkeley next week). This time I saw Ratatat for free. The free shows are out in Sproul Plaza where students can meander down for a quick glance.

Since I saw Ratatat a year or two ago and left the show early (there stuff is good to listen to, but in a live show, with no vocals, it just doesn't do it for me) and since I got a free ticket to an early screening of Science of Sleep, I left after only a few songs.

They have a new album out, and it seems to be strong from the tracks I've heard. But that doesn't get away from the fact that in concert they just sort of noodle around on guitars while swaying back and forth.

What ever happened to these guys being the next big rap producers?

Ratatat - Seventeen Years

Missy Eliot (Ratatat Remix) - Hot

Under the Influence of Giants / Dirty Heads - Cafe du Nord - 9/14/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

I like to think that I'm a pretty good concert buddy. As the list of shows to the left suggests, I'm interested in a lot of shows, even if I don't go to them all. But if someone invites me to a show, I'll typically go.

So when Lisa asked me to go see a reggae-rap band called the Dirty Heads, I went (despite not being a reggae, rap, or reggae-rap listener). Lisa thinks that they're going to be the next Linkin Park, so take that however you want. Regardless of their musical taste, I have to say that they were fun to watch. They put on an energetic show. And I spent a lot of the time trying to figure out if the DJ was Mexican or Asian (I'm pretty sure he's Asian).

Neither of us had heard of the headliners, but we decided to stick around to see what they were like. Under the Influence of Giants is a glammed-up rock band that somehow rests in the middle of the Rapture and Junior Senior. They've got the look and feel of a major-label band. And they're signed to a major label (Island), making them labelmates with the Killers. I'd be a poor judge of music if I didn't suggest that if cards are played correctly, these guys will follow in the Killers' footsteps.

I grabbed the CD after the show. I have this ongoing mix in my iTunes for danceable indie rock and figured I could put a song or two from UTIOG on there. And who knows, a year from now these guys will be claiming their sophomore record is the best in 20 years.

Wolf Parade / Frog Eyes - The Fillmore - 8/24/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

I have it too good. Most of the bands I want to see live play small venues and allow me to get up close to the stage. When I go to shows at places like The Fillmore or the Greek, its a struggle to even get within 50 feet. Luckily I've already had my U2 concert experience and don't need to worry about which section of the stadium my seats are in until Ted Leo starts playing MSG.

Despite the distance, the Wolf Parade / Frog Eyes show was rather good. It's a natural pairing with keyboardist Spencer Krug in both bands. In case you haven't heard Frog Eyes before, you need to know that the music is weird. It's not experimental, but they ride the razor's edge between experimental and pop music. There isn't much variety between songs, so if you like one, you'll probably like them all, and likewise, if you hate one, you'll hate them all. Sort of like Julia Roberts movies. I like Frog Eyes (and the Destroyer / Frog Eyes collaboration that produced Notorious Lightning and Other Works is truly amazing), so I had a good time watching their enthusiasm spill out onto guitar strings and piano keys.

Another issue with bigger places is that when you're in a large group and people leave your hard-earned spot in the crowd for a drink or smoke, it's nearly impossible for them to get back. So despite being at the show with Ben, Enrico, Jeni, Andrea, Sam, Bethany, and Kristen, and watching Frog Eyes with Julia and Mike, I ended up watching Wolf Parade surrounded only by the coke fiend girls on my right, the bushy-haired tall duo directly in front of me, and the girls who mistook Frog Eyes for Wolf Parade on my left.

Wolf Parade played some new stuff during the set, and it sounded fine, but nothing sounded as good as their older material. I'm confident they'll be putting out great music for a while since they're all amazing musicians and Krug has proven himself with both Frog Eyes and Sunset Rubdown. The interesting thing about the show was that these guys played almost too well. The You Are A Runner / Fancy Claps sequence in the middle of the set was so good and polished, it was almost U2-esque. Coming full circle, I believe if I would have been assigned to row 54 in section KK, I still would have been rocked. I doubt Wolf Parade will ever have that sort of following, but if they do get to Radiohead status, don't fret about the live show.

Frog Eyes - The Oscillator's Hum

Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner

Wolf Parade - Shine A Light

The Mountain Goats - Amoeba Music - 8/22/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

On the same day as the record release of his new album, Get Lonely, John Darnielle passed through town for a free show. The simple setup, just him and a guitar, made all the songs sound more like his old recordings, before his switch to 4AD records.

I personally prefer the stripped, lo-fi, early recordings to the new, polished ones. But both are great, and The Mountain Goats are easily my number one listened-to band, according to last.fm. So take the rest of this post with the same amount of salt you'd take if I were reviewing Dennis Kucinich for President.

I went to the show alone, but Mike, Karin, Evan, and Amber were there and somehow spotted me in the crowd. A phone call later and I was within 20 feet of the stage.

I think the most praised aspect of The Mountain Goats is the literary song writing. It certainly isn't the production value or honey dew singing. And although the tunes are subtly complicated (if that makes any sense... they're complicated, but you might not notice all of the references or that little key change right away), I always thought the best aspect of The Mountain Goats was the passion and truth behind the words. Years ago, I might have called it emo. But it is distinct. Much like Destroyer or the Decemberists, The Mountain Goats make stories with musical accompaniment.

In the middle of No, I Can't, which is essentially a list of things given to a man by an ex-lover, you really understand the meaning behind the words when he yells Thanks for the filing cabinet / I don't know what I did without it. And this came through incredibly well in the live show. When John stopped playing guitar for a few measures in the middle of a song and just let his strained, somewhat sour voice carry through the record store, you understand the (perceived) importance of the words.

The set was predictably short. And for an artist with several hundred songs, it was painfully short. Most of the set was off the new album, which isn't what the die-hards beg for. But I can't really complain. It's like asking for the Canterbury Tales to shoot up to the top of the best-sellers' list.

Some older tracks. He played Goldenboy at the show.

The Mountain Goats - Cubs In Five

The Mountain Goats - Goldenboy

Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos - Popscene - 8/3/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Why is the percussionist (not to be confused with the drummer) always the most interesting person in the band to watch? My current theory is that as children these were the kids that constantly goofing off in class to get the teacher's attention. And now they get to bang on loud things to get attention.

Anyway, Annie, Thea, and I went to Popscene to catch Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos (which may be the worst band name by a good band ever). Popscene is the place in San Francisco to show off your leg warmers and bullet belt. It's also the place to go if you're indie and under 21. It's gotten to the point where I feel pretty old going there. How long do I have before I feel old at bars?

As far as the music, MatNSaS (which should be pronounced "mat-an-sass") played a relatively long set for Popscene. They have a very full sound, which one might expect with eight members. The overlapping male and female vocals add even more depth. Most of their songs are pretty mellow, which is nice, but the venue is really best for bands that bring the rock (Hot Hot Heat killed there). But a couple of the songs swapped acoustic for electric guitar and really kicked things into gear. Those were the songs that made me think this was a good show. With only the slower stuff, I'd forget about this show in a couple of months.

Maybe I'm just in the mood for a band that can get me jumping and dancing. Wolf Parade is in a couple of weeks and that should be the fix I desire.


Here is a pretty good video of one of their rockin' songs.

An Epic Experience

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

The Flaming Lips. They're consistently considered one of the best shows around. And show is the right word. When you have a half dozen Santas, alien groupies, superhero roadies, and monstrous sing-a-longs, you can't just call this a concert.

I went to the show to celebrate Mike's birthday. So he, Cheryl, Connie, Ben, and a bunch of Mike's friends and I arrived at the show together. Most of them wanted to go up to the grass and chill, but Ben and I wanted a closer view. We ended up pretty close, but still above the pit, which allowed me to get these amazing pictures without arms and heads framing the pictures.

The show started with Wayne giving instructions on what was about to happen. He told the crowd that he was about to descend from the heavens in a giant bubble, landing gently in the open arms of the crowd below. He them proceeded to fulfill his promise. After walking on the crowd, he returned to start the show with Race for the Prize, one of my favorite songs (it's about scientists, for crying out loud).

They continued their nonsense for quite a while, shooting confetti and streamers into the crowd during songs. Twice they had us sing along to a song; after Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 and before The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song. They played She Don't Use Jelly, which I didn't need to hear, but was nice because the crowd was so excited to hear it live.

A friend of mine once said, "The best show I've ever been to has to be the Flaming Lips. Of course that's not really fair since during the show I was tripping on acid." The Flaming Lips are a great show, really giving you what they promise when you put down $40+ to see them. I'm sure this will be one of my favorite shows of the year, but with the giant venue, it didn't feel intimate enough. Maybe next time they travel through, I'll be on stage dressed as a vampire holding a flashlight and I won't care so much about the size of the venue.

Here are the majority of my pictures from the show.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

And for those who weren't there, here is Wayne in his bubble:

Top 5 Shows of First Half of 2006

Everyone likes to make top 10 lists at the end of the year. But why wait until then to arbitrarily rank things? I figured I could do a brief ranking of the best shows I've seen so far this year. One bonus of doing this now is that this is happening when things are easier to remember. From my memory, I've been to 19 shows in the last 6 months. So this does have some merit. But enough pontificating!

5. Birdmonster - Mezzanine - 4/19
   
   
   Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.
   This was the record release party for Birdmonster's new album, No Midnight. There weren't many people there, but they still rocked. And those that did show up were true fans, singing along and yelling the whole time. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin also opened (something I didn't mention in the original posting). It was a nice bonus.
   
   
   
4. Helio Sequence - Mezzanine - 4/1
   
   
   Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.
   I think the main reason I went to this show was to see Band of Horses. They were getting a lot of buzz and I figured I'd see if they could hold up to the hype. Turns out that they couldn't. I'd like to see them again just to see if it was an off night. But the real show came from the boys in Helio Sequence. If you're looking for a show to remove the socks from your feet, go see these guys. It's just pure fun from start to finish.
   
   
   
3. Beirut - Lily Pad - 6/24
   
   
   Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.
   Maybe it's because I just saw them, but I sure liked the Beirut show. Sure, it wasn't the cleanest show I've ever seen. But I wasn't expecting U2. The music is good, and the intimate setting really made for an excellent time. And the band was quite approachable. They're coming to San Francisco in October, playing at Great American. That should be quite a difference.
   
   
   
2. Spinto Band - Cafe du Nord - 3/13
   
   
   Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.
   The Spinto Band's album has been one that I keep coming back to. The songs are really poppy, but still retain the complexities and subtleties of great music. And their live show is similar. It's juvenile in some regards (the guys are all young), using kazoos and funny dance moves, but it is subtle and complex with excellent solos and a genuine rapport between band members. Simply put, I enjoyed myself.
   
   
   
1. Islands - Slim's - 5/6
   
   
   Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.
   Boy, that's a small picture I have of Islands. But I think that is actually a good thing. I really enjoyed the show. And I really like the music played (if I were making a similar list of songs, Rough Gem would have probably been at #1). But Nick Diamonds is a dick (which is seen in full effect during a Pitchfork interview). The real reason I enjoyed this show so much was the energy and the events that unfolded during the concert. So having a small picture of the guy, with his band mates, might be the kind of blow to his ego that he could use. But more likely, he'll think "some people are just bitter that they ended up reviewing the show rather than playing the show, perhaps." Yes, Nick, jealousy got us this far...