The more that I listen to the latest album by Experimental Rock powerhouse TV on the Radio, the more I realize that they are creating some of the most ambitious and spaced-out material in the music game. Their 5^th studio album, Nine Types of Light dropped today, and presents an interesting theme of the beginning and the end of all we know, whether it be small things, or the big picture.

As far as song structure, it is most similar to their 2006 album Return to Cookie Mountain, with dark lyrics attached to dance worthy instrumentals. Speaking of instrumentals and RtCM, the horns have come back in a big way, with over half the tracks containing some heavy horn element.

I’ve always admired the ability of every member of this band, with every member playing several instruments, giving truth to the term experimental that they’ve been labeled with.  Beyond these traits, the band also assembled an hour long music video for the entire album, with different themes and directors for each songs video. In between each song are interviews/monologues with several people discussing their thoughts on the concepts of the album and beyond.  Definitely worth an hour of your time. Check it out on their YouTube channel right here.

The opening track, Second Song was a perfect fit, and I found myself starting my daily drive to the office with its talk of trials and tribulations that we all start our day with. The buildup was interesting, inspiring thoughts of a sunrise perhaps, and heavy contemplation.

The single from the album, Will Do is a love song plain and simple. Beautiful xylophones dance along the steady rhythm, with front man Tunde Adebimpe rhyming about lovers plight. The geek I am, I felt like there were several hidden messages about the state of what we consider ‘real’ relationships in the digital age. The music video has members of the band reluctantly living out fantasies…or even just vacant memories of their passions via virtual reality hardware in an empty apartment. Amazing.

My favorite song however, was the 7^th track, New Cannonball Run. A simple but stabbing three notes from a synthesizer loom over the funky drums of Jaleel Bunton; his heavy cymbal work a welcome method to the rhythm. The song slowly progresses to add a more prominent bass line, quick guitar strums, and eventually full blown horns by song’s end. Lyrically rich, Tunde talks about full system breakdown, “Hey girls, hey boys/No, don’t mind the noise/ It’s just the sound of being dragged to hell”, and what a crying shame it all is. If you watch the full movie I posted earlier, the video for the song is about 11 minutes in.

This album is in the ‘Greater than the sum of its parts’ category, and is approachable by just about anyone, old and new fans alike. At first, I didn’t think it would trump my love for their last album Dear Science, but after seeing the movie, combined with the wonderfully written album; it’s really starting to grow on me.

Nine Types of Light is out today, and for you Los Angeles fans, we’re hoping to see you at their May 3^rd show at The Music Box!

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

Two days shy of a full seven years after their last release, which was widely viewed as more of a solo effort from Robert Del Naja due to Grant Marshall’s absence, Massive Attack have finally returned. A gap of that size, long even for the trip-hop spearheading collective (who have released only five albums in nearly twenty years), can make comparing new with old somewhat difficult; a lot can happen in seven years, and most of the fans who so eagerly picked up 100th Window back in 2003 are scarcely the same people today. This is why despite the broader sound and more dynamically used intensity, it takes a good number of listens before one can decide whether Heligoland, their latest, is better than 100th Window. And the slow growing quality, paired with the fact that Portishead put out such a stellar record a few years ago, has already resulted in the album not getting quite as much credit as it deserves; before its formal release, no less. Hopefully the trend will change soon enough, because while Heligoland certainly doesn’t top the best in Massive Attack’s catalogue, it’s still easily good enough to stand next to them.

I don't think I've ever seen a rainbow look so much like a frown

The return of Marshall, or Daddy G, doesn’t take long to become apparent; the psychedelic gloom that dominated 100th Window is largely gone, relegated to a moderation which leaves Heligoland sounding far more upbeat and slightly brighter; though make no mistake, there is still a great deal of dark, menacing presence here, and its more modest portions make it all the more powerful. The album is already being compared to Mezzanine, but its sound is much more soulful, and sounds more akin to Protection. Another big difference is that much of Heligoland is more reliant on simple melodies, which renders the tracks as deceptively simple. The atmospherics are still there, but they sneak up on the listener; more often than not they creep in just as the initial hook is hitting its stride.

The list of guest vocalists is remarkable, and they are all unsurprisingly suitably chosen. While it may seem gimmicky having hipster band vocalists Tunde Adebimpe and Guy Garvey (of TV on the Radio and Elbow, respectively) on board, their songs don’t sound like anybody else should have sung on them. Opener Pray for Rain serves as a great, morphing backdrop for Adebimpe’s doomed sermon-like delivery, while Flat of the Blade finds Garvey expressing disorienting dread very well with an understated but highly affecting vocal. Damon Albarn has a contribution as well, Saturday Come Slow, with a great, 13 era Blur sound, though he sounds strangely Thom Yorke-like in the chorus. Mainstay Horace Andy, who has appeared on all five Massive Attack LPs, sings on Splitting the Atom and Girl I Love You, the latter of which preceded Heligoland by about four months in EP format. Girl is driven by great percussion and a killer bassline, which admittedly sounds slightly like a sped up version of Angel‘s, but still works to great effect. Also well used are the horn samples, which are relatively abundant throughout the album.

Naturally, there are also the female vocalists which Massive Attack has become known for as well; Martina Topley-Bird, better known for her work with Tricky, appears on two tracks; it’s Hope Sandoval though, and her turn on Paradise Circus, that really stands out. The song is more or less bare, led by a basic piano and handclap, but her sultry vocals fill in any empty spaces with ease, and she keeps the composition sounding luxuriant until the production kicks in a little over halfway through; it makes one wonder why she wasn’t picked to sing for them before now. The songs without collaborators, Rush Minute and closer Atlas Air, still have a bit of 100th Window’s heaviness to them, but the livelier beats give them a much more compelling kick, which particularly helps the keep latter’s meandering somewhat grounded.

...can we get a minute here? Jesus

Upon first listen, Heligoland is disappointingly underwhelming in places; where as everything they’ve put out before had beauty with the immediacy of a sledgehammer, there’s a bit more subtlety present here. It doesn’t take long to reveal itself, however, and while the unrelenting atmosphere of 100th Window had its positive points, it’s refreshing to see them shifting it around some. It’s pretty clear that their innovating days are over, but just because they’re no longer pioneers doesn’t mean that they’ve become derivative or unimaginative. They still have an outstanding sound to boast, and it’s impressive that after twenty years they are keeping up not only with their few contemporaries, but the modern electronic scene they helped create as well. Heligoland may not be a masterpiece, but it’s far from a letdown.

February was a good month for The Big Pink. Not only had they just been signed to British inde label 4D (along with the likes of Bon Iver and TV on the Radio), but they won the NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act as well. Needless to say that after all this expectations were quite high for their debut album, and their own aims were very high as well. A Brief History of Love was to be a concept album of sorts, with each song tackling a different aspect of love, be it “The good, the bad, the boring, the exciting, the dreams, the nightmares,” according to member Milo Cordell. Everything seemed poised to be great, but despite the band’s captivating early singles (included on the album), the band’s long awaited debut is just, well, not that good.

"Oh my god, this place is so groooooooss, hurry up you guys"

A Brief History of Love starts with a luring intro that explodes into a slab of noise with an unremarkable, though adequate melody. There is nothing new or exciting, but it’s got a good beat and the vocals harmonize well. It leads into a slightly more industrial sounding track, Too Young to Love, which is able to carry the momentum, but when Dominos comes after, the album’s continuity stops in its tracks. The shoegaze to industrial switch up made sense, but now indie britpop? It’s also at this point that it starts to look like the duo (vocalist/guitarist Robbie Furze and programmer/synth player Cordell) are more interested in song ideas than actual song writing, as the writing consists of one hook and little else. It’s not even as if the band only fall short when compared to their apparent nineties influences; these styles have been done far better in the last year by A Place to Bury Strangers and Glasvegas, respectively.

The problem with lead single Dominos is that while the chorus and harmonization are catchy, there’s really nothing else to it, and it’s ultimately little more than a reasonably memorable song about growing bored of relationships. Not only does its style far exceed its substance, but it also rubs off oddly onto the following track, the quite-lovely-on-its-own Love in Vain. To hear Furze croon the line, “If you really love him then tell me that you love him again,” in such a crestfallen fashion a mere minute after he is triumphantly declaring that “these girls fall like dominoes,” one can’t help but wonder how genuine could he possibly be. True, it’s not as awkward as Justin Timberlake’s ridiculous tenth grade love letter lyrics in My Love paired with T.I.’s guest rap that is exactly to the contrary, but it rings false all the same. It’s also true that musically speaking, it is the first point on the record where two songs authentically click.

After the admittedly pretty Velvet, Furze and Cordell decide to go retro with Golden Pendulum,  but they push the synth gimmick too far and end up sounding like a bad Adam Ant song (Strip, to be exact), and whatever steam was present is gone by the time Frisk starts. The closing Count Backwards from Ten sounds like a Pixies song with all the energy sucked out, and if Black Francis thought that an unironic chant of “Better off dead” would sound good.

"Girls won't sleep with me! I am now depressed." "Yeah, me too."

The real fatal flaw here is that The Big Pink come across as little more than a couple of guys trying to exude one of their favorite bands with each song, and upon repeated listens this becomes more evident. As a result, it’s not cohesive at all, and while it’s perfectly enjoyable (it’s kind of like a good mixtape, because I like these bands almost as much as they do), it doesn’t really have much of an identity of its own. Basically, A Brief History of Love is a collection of decent ideas and passable songs, but it’s not much of an album.

By Saturday, I had figured out the mass transit rituals that the city offered to me. I found it easier to make random friends on the street, than to find a spot on a bus. As we all rode those couple dozen blocks, festival goers told me how cool I was for what I do and I couldn’t agree more. There’s a small bit of prestige that you feel whilst donning the media wristband/lanyard that I get at every event.

Zion I

This time, I got up earlier, to make sure that I didn’t miss the phenomenal bay area artists in the Zion I crew. The energetic duo and their set partners were energetic and proved wonderful in getting the early birds (they played at 12:30, so I use the term loosely) ready for the rest of the day. Playing a good chunk of their February release The Takeover, I was very impressed by the power of the Zion I crew. It was one of those situations where you aren’t sure of if you’re going to love an artist the same once you see them live. The main stage music quality seemed to waver most of the weekend, but luckily this was not the case for this set.

Raphael Saadiq

After a short break, and reconvening with my friends in the press tent, I made my way back down to the main stage to catch a glimpse up close of the legendary Raphael Saadiq. Let me first say that the guy doesn’t look a day over thirty, but he’s already 43. Not only did he and his crew look like a snapshot of yesteryear, but also equivocally captured that 60’s sound.

Not only did he play one of my favorite songs by him (or Lucy Pearl rather), Dance Tonight; but also surprised me with a track from his first album Instant Vintage, Be Here. The song originally features D’Angelo, but this version was on a whole new level. Don’t get me wrong, D’Angelo would have been amazing to see in tow, but the live band created an original rendition of his 2002 hit. Unfortunately this set ran parallel to the Street Sweeper Social Club set, but luckily I caught them live earlier this year.

Portugal. The Man

Next up was the Portugal. The Man. The thing about Portugal. The Man, is that unlike a good chunk of the musicians I have met, these guys are true gentleman, who are quick to make a friend (or at least a tagalong). Most artists would take the back alleys to get to the stages, to remain hidden from the crowd. Maybe it’s because they aren’t “big time” yet, but they had no problem walking about the crowds and engaging with fans that approached them.

Their generosity to their fans was only matched by their ability to captivate an audience. Drawing songs mainly from the recent album, The Satanic Satanist, complimented by songs off Censored Colors and Church Mouth, this was one of the best sets of the weekend.

Jason played the role of the smooth operator on the drums, donning his red headband throughout the set. Ryan did excellent quadruple duty as always, with multiple keyboards shakers and a percussion passion to boot. John rocked the mic for us, hitting the high notes without problem or delay. However I believe the star of this set was bassist Zach Carothers. Obviously, I’m a bass and percussion fan, but even that aside, it was very entertaining to watch the stage presence of an overlooked position on the stage. And it’s not like those notes packed together were easy to play; yet still he prevailed. Well played gentlemen.

Bat For Lashes

Bat For Lashes was probably my sleeper hit of the weekend, as it was my first time seeing, let alone hearing about the beautiful British singer. Usually a multi instrumentalist, she brought along her live band crew to sooth us in the afternoon shade. It’s hard to describe her musical prowess. It was like shoegaze, but with a more comforting feeling to it. Also, she had the 80’s look and even 80’s mannerisms, complete with fist pumps and other entertaining hand gestures.

If I had to put labels on it, I would say she had the sense of if Sia met Moby and had a lovechild. Give her a listen yourself to get a head trip with her latest album, Two Suns.

TV on the Radio

I was faced with a pivotal choice at this point in the evening. Do I go to the main stage to see the Black Eyed Peas? Or stay true to my boy Tunde and watch TV on the Radio? Seeing as the Black Eyed Peas boarded the fail boat after Fergie joined their ranks, I choose the latter.

I saw them at Coachella, but Twin Peaks stage made the experience that much more intimate, with Tunde reminding us to take in the beauty of the people and environment around us, as he’d done before last time I saw them.

What I love about their sets, is that they can make the turmoil of the world very danceable, with Tunde doing his signature hand claps, and weird sliding shuffle. I knew once the horns of Wrong Way started to blare, we were in for some serious shit.

The Mars Volta

My last serious take on the night was a long awaited performance by The Mars Volta. It would be my sixth time seeing the crew live, and I needed to make up for seeing them at the lacklust Ventura Theatre. Not only was the sound quality much better, but Cedric wasn’t sick as he was at the last show. During the set, Ced took time out to break down the bands sign and carry it across his back, before playing peek-a-boo behind it, coming up to scream lyrics.

I’m somehow always surprised at the display of energy from this band, with rippling waves smashing into you on every note. The highlight for me however, was when Omar started playing a familiar (albeit only to me) guitar riff, with Juan coming in on the drums. A big Volta fan turned to me and asked “wait…what song is this” to which I looked to him and said “oh shit, it’s Eunuch Provocateur!” After this, Thomas kicked in with the insane drum work, and all hell broke loose into an epic dance fury. For those of you not in the true Volta know, Eunuch Provocateur is a song off their original Tremulant EP, and was the first time I had heard it live. A song that dates back to 2001, it was a true masterpiece to watch enacted in front of us. Here’s the entire setlist from the show:

1. Goliath
2. Cotopaxi
3. Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)
4. Eunuch Provocateur
5. Viscera Eyes
6. Halo Of Nembutals
7. Drunkship of Lanterns
8. Luciforms (to which the band dedicated to the members of Mastodon, standing backstage)
9. Ilyena
10. The Widow
11. Wax Simulacra

I made my way back to the main stage to meet up with my crew, and caught the last twenty minutes of Dave Matthews Band. It was perfect timing too, as the band played a long rendition of Sly and the Family Stone’s Thank You For Lettin’ Me Be Myself Again. Afterward, I watch in awe of the love showed to ambidextrous drummer Carter Beauford’s ten minute ovation, as he threw dozens of drum sticks out to the crowd at the end of the performance. This was a perfect way to end the evening, leaving me with one more day of musical bliss.

Check out the complete gallery here, and keep an eye out for the last chapter in my Outside Lands 2009 series. Or you can look at the past and future straight up in day 1 and day 3 here!

Happy Labor Day! Until next time my friends,

~Flak

Hey everyone, just wanted to remind you that this weekend is the monumental second year of San Francisco festival at Golden Gate Park, entitled Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival 2009.

Be sure to follow my Twitter to keep up on whats going down in the festival.  Optimalarea is my user name, so hit me up!

Like Coachella 2009, this one is a three day extravaganza near the water of the bay area. Yours truly will be in attendance, and I just wanted to let you know who was going to be in attendance, and what the show has to offer. Here’s the banner:

Originally, the third night’s headliner was supposed to be The Beastie Boys, but due to the untimely discovery of a cancerous tumor in Adam Yauch’s (aka MCA) throat, the rest of their tour dates were cancelled, and new album pushed back. Instead, Jack Black’s hilarious Tenacious D will be taking the stage instead.

The festival grounds will be teeming with wine tasting and local food vendors to keep it fresh and original, while making a splash in the community. There will also be tons of nightlife after the daytime events are over at different venues around the city. Be sure and check the details at their website.

Anywho, these are my MUST sees:

Friday, August 28^th

Q-Tip and he better play Vivrant Thing and of course Breathe N Stop… sure the new stuff is good, but those songs helped define my childhood.

The Silversun Pickups, to hear what all the fuss is about. Don’t get me wrong, I have full faith I’ll be blown away. Let’s just say I’m being cautiously optimistic.

Thievery Corporation is great at getting the crowd hyped like they did at Coachella 2009, and San Francisco will turn out even better for them.

Pearl Jam, because I have never really been a diehard fan, but I want to change that.

And of course Incubus, because they have been a favorite of mine for over a decade. Besides, I owe Ben Kenney an apology for not recognizing him when I saw him at Fry’s years ago and didn’t know he’d joined the band.

Saturday, August 29^th

Portugal. The Man, because I have loved all of their albums, but have yet to see what they can do live.

Zion I, because they have kept afloat in the hip hop madness for years, and even had my friend Brandon Jordan from Killradio on one of their tracks, so it’s a must see.

Street Sweeper Social Club, because they rocked the hell out of Epicenter 2009, and I know they will rock it again. San Francisco will give them a warm welcome I’m sure.

Raphael Saadiq, because I have a feeling that because Q-Tip will have been in attendance the night before, they will perform Get Involved. And if we’re lucky, he’ll find a way to perform Lucy Pearl’s Dance Tonight. Remember that one?

Mastodon, because I also want to know what the fuss is about. They have been around forever, and I’m sure will pleasantly surprise me, unlike the power outage that just knocked out the last few paragraphs that I’m rewriting.

The ladies love Conor Oberst, so I want to see if I am half as moved as they are when he hits the main stage.

Of course TV on the Radio, Jason Mraz, and The Mars Volta are must sees. They have been favorites of mine for a long time.

The Black Eyed Peas have come a long way, and while I might not have been along for the ride the entire time, I’m sure it will be off the chain.

Dave Matthews Band deserves the top spot, as their album after their several year hiatus is worth the wait, and a perfect sound for the main stage this year.

Sunday, August 30^th

I’ll most likely start my locked gaze with Atmosphere later in the day, as third time will surely be a charm for them to play Dreamer.

Jack White’s new band The Dead Weather blew me away with their recent album Horehound. Additionally, I’ve heard the crew is a monster live.

Modest Mouse has been a sleeper hit in my collection for years, and I hope to hear something new that the band is working on. It’s already been two years since their last release.

Apparently Ween is the must see act, from what my friends have told me, so here’s to optimism to the work of the Ween “brothers”.

M.I.A. and Diplo killed it at Coachella, so I’m hoping she tops her madness from the desert festival, this time in the bay.

Come to think of it, Tenacious D will be a fun and hilarious way to end the weekend, to send me home on that early-ass Monday train with memories on my pocket.

The weekend is sure to be amazing, and I hope to see you there. Don’t be shy, as I’ll be getting many a picture to capture the festivities.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

Ah Coachella Day 2. Welcome back kids to my Coachella 2009 series. The journey continues, as I explore the musical styling of some of my old favorite artists, and realize new ones. But I won’t give an arbitrary opening any further. Let’s get to the nitty.

Coachella Lesson #4: BRING A COOLER WITH YOUR OWN DRINKS IN IT! You might not be able to bring in your own drinks to the actual festival, but if you’re camping there, you will likely die of thirst by about 7am, no joke.

Renee, Dan and I hung out all day in the tent, saying hello to fellow campers as they passed by our shade, and charged our phones for the impending day’s madness. As you’ll learn next year when you go, there’s really not a whole lot to do on the festival grounds if your performers haven’t started yet, as you’ll want to save your energy (and lower back) for the rest of the evening. In the morning on the campgrounds, there are fun, childish activities like face painting and similar tomfoolery whilst having fun in the sun.

Around 6, the gang and I headed for the front gates of the grounds, where I met up with my upstate home girls, Alexis A. and Robyn D. We headed straight for the main stage, where we made camp in the cool grass, to await the sound check for TV on the Radio to be completed. While I don’t know what the exact set list for the band was, I had a few notable favorites. The band started off with a version of their first song, from their first album (The Wrong Way- Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes), complete with a horn section that was amazing.

Also on the set list was a faster version of one my personal favorites from Dear Science, Golden Age.

What I loved about this band is how much energy they gave the crowd, and the humor of front man Tunde Adebimpe. During the set he calmly told us whilst we fried in the sun:

“Alright guys, our mission during this set, is to bring the sun down”

And while I don’t have a great clip of it, they also performed Wolf Like Me, the hit single from their second album, Return to Cookie Mountain.  Katrina Ford of the Baltimore, MA band Celebration, came onstage to sing alone with Kyp and Tunde.

After the set, I moved along on my own, and stumble upon James Morrison‘s set in the Mojave Tent. I thought that maybe he wouldn’t be that great live, but the brotha can sing! I got a shoddy clip of If You Don’t Wanna Love Me for your pleasure.

There isn’t a lot to say about them really, but Thievery Corporation was a joy to listen to as well. Have a look at the band performing the end of El Pueblo Unido from their recent album Radio Retaliation.

Ok, but let’s talk about MIA just a bit. This is a girl who was onstage at the Grammys the due date of her pregnancy. This woman has guts. This had to be one of the most intense entrances to date that I’ve seen at a show. Her set can be described by a quote during her show:

“Im probably going to get kicked off the main stage for this one, but fuck it. I ain’t gonna change. “

She played a lot of her hits, including the ever so popular Paper Planes. Then she stressed the security out as much as possible by telling the crowd to come on stage. Disaster. I even saw a girl get tackled off the stage. Why no video you ask? Well I have tons for M.I.A., but Youtube won’t let me upload it. Ill try and have it up for my last piece of my series.

Before seeing The Killers, the nights headliner, I stopped in to get a picture of Jenny Lewis, and a short clip of Atmosphere performing Godlovesugly. I wish I got a clip of him literally saying

OK now all the hot people STFU” along to the beat while singing the chorus.

The best performance of the night went to The Killers. Honestly, at first, I didn’t think they deserved to be on the main stage. But these guys know how to put on a show. The crowd loved these guys, and the effects were great. Heres their setlist for the evening, and snippet of Somebody Told Me, Mr. Brightside, and my friends Bri O., Emily, and Helen N. dancing to Human (I would have recorded my favorite song of theirs, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, but I was too busy playing air bass):

1.       Human

2.       Somebody Told Me

3.       For Reasons Unknown

4.       This Is Your Life

5.       Joy Ride

6.       Bling (Confession of a King)

7.       Shadowplay (Joy Division Cover)

8.       Smile Like You Mean It

9.       Spaceman

10.   A Dustland FairyTale

11.   Sam’s Town

12.   Read My Mind

13.   Mr. Brightside

14.   All These Things That I’ve Done

Encore:

15.   Bones

16.   Jenny Was a Friend of Mine

17.   When You Were Young

This was definitely a more exploratory night, as I was not afflicted with the massive back aches of the other nights.  Which brings me to Coachella Lesson #4: SIT DOWN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE! It hurts like all hell at the end of the night if you don’t and it takes away from your experience, which I of course learned the hard way.

I played air bass from Jenny Was a Friend of Mine all the way back to my tent, and slept well; knowing that day 3 was going to bring me on last day of desert adventure. Stay tuned for the final part of my Coachella 2009 series.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

P.S.  Here are links to Day 1 if you missed it, and Day 3 to continue right along.

It took me a little while I know, but I’m finally coming around to listen to the originally New York, but now Canadian/Los Angeles/New York based indie pop band, Metric. I’m sad that I missed out on them for so long, because they are one of those bands that get you into other bands…if that makes sense at all.

Led by the super cute blonde Emily Haines on the piano and lead vocals, she is also in the baroque pop grouping Broken Social Scene, along with other Metric band mate James Shaw. Shaw brings the lead guitar out for Metric, with Joules Scott-Key on the drums, and Josh Winstead a-slappin’ da bass. But don’t fret, Scott-Key and Winstead have their own side project, Bang Lime. Legend has it that James Shaw used to chill with members of who would later be members of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, the Liars, and TV on the Radio. I can see how all these bands relate, as they all have similar energies and creative qualities.

Scott-Key, Shaw, Haines, and Winstead

James Shaw has produced three of the four albums for Metric, and it’s actually him that got the band that name in the first place, due to his methods of production on his samplers. Today’s review is about the 4^th studio album by the band, entitled Fantasies.

James’ recent work is very good I must say. It continues with the change in play style that the band adopted after its 2007 album, Grow Up and Blow Away. GUBA was a little more processed and clean, with this new album being a bit edgier and not as metric as one would expect from James. This isn’t a bad thing at all, as it feels more like a mood change than a personality change, if that makes sense.

If some of the songs sound familiar to you, but you weren’t a Metric fan before, there’s good reason. Grey’s Anatomy has featured three songs from the band; the most recent being Front Row from this most recent album.

But I’ll give you the nitty now, and let you know what my favorite tracks from the album are, and why.

The intro track, Help I’m Alive is a great song, but I actually prefer the acoustic version better. The band released the newer acoustic version recently, so you can grab it for free and find out for yourself. I think it lent a better intro to the album, going from softer melody, to the higher energy of the rest of the album.

Moving on into the album, the second track, Sick Muse gives us a smooth but powerful (much like me) push-off point to the listener. The acoustic guitar is a nice touch in the background, and the song keeps itself even sexier after about 20 seconds when the bass guitar starts to drop in. As I think I’ve stated in other articles by me, I am more inclined to love a bass line in a song, as it was the first instrument I learned to play.

Track 5, Gold Guns Girls takes a bit more of a sampled approach with the digital beat being overlaid in the background. The acoustic guitar kicks in during the chorus as a nice compliment to the lyrics. The song talks about greed we face every day, and even if you got all the things you wanted, you probably wouldn’t be satisfied. Take a look:

All the gold
And the guns
And the girls
Couldn’t get you off

All the boys
All the choices
In the world

I remember when we were gambling to win
Everybody else said better luck next time
I don’t wanna bend like the bad girls bend
I just wanna be your friend
Is it ever gonna be enough?

But my overall favorite has to be track 9, Blindness. I’m really into the instrument-follows-the-voice thingy that bands are doing now. The song starts of simple, and for some reason reminds me of an old Nintendo game (not sure which). At about 1:45, the bass drops, with the rest of the band at the two minute mark, for a powerful second half. Personally, I think that this song would have been a great one to end the album with, but second to last isn’t bad either. It’s just that the energy is high the whole album, and could have wound down to this, but the last track, Stadium Love does a proper ending anyhow I suppose.

To break away, this is an album that quickly built a respect for this band, because their music is so similar that all of it can be considered one big album in a way, with different moods being explored along the way. I look forward to seeing the band live in June with my home girl Jessica T, and tip my hat to her for telling me about them in the first place. They have my vote already, so pick up Fantasies and enjoy it. Oh and don’t forget about that acoustic version on the bands website of Help I’m Alive. Stay tuned for their live performance review later on in the year.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

So for all you fellow Coachella goers, I wanted to give you a little update on where I will be headed during the weekend, should you want to meet up with me for the festivities. Using the cool little Coachooser app on the website, you can select who you want, and don’t want to see. You can then share your list with people online via a link, with the option to email it to yourself so you can stay reminded.

Here’s my for sure list for the weekend, with their included set times and location (which my Coachooser doesn’t list for whatever reason…FAIL):

Friday, April 17th

• Franz Ferdinand 6:35-7:25, Coachella Stage
• Girl Talk 9:00-9:50, Sahara Tent
• Paul McCartney 10:00, Coachella Stage

Saturday, April 18th

• Atmosphere 11:05, Outdoor Theatre
• Jenny Lewis 9:50-10:40, Outdoor Theatre
• M.I.A. 8:55-9:45, Coachella Stage
• The Killers 10:45 Coachella Stage
• TRV$DJ-AM 7:20-8:20 Sahara Tent
• TV on the Radio 6:25-7:15 Coachella Stage

Sunday, April 19th

• Lupe Fiasco 3:45-4:35 Coachella Stage
• Shepard Fairey 2:15-3:15 Sahara Tent
• The Cure 9:25 Coachella Stage
• Yeah Yeah Yeah’s 6:15-7:15 Coachella Stage

This is probably where I will be for the weekend, and may I say, I’m very happy to see that M.I.A. was added to the lineup. Also ya’ll, I’m camping there, so let me know if you are too and we can all chill after the show. Hope to see some of you there.

~Flak

Over the past few years, New York has been a particularly important contributor to my music collection. A few years ago, I got deeper into the music of Interpol, as I had never really given them a shot. A year later, I started listening to the work of TV on the Radio.

Fate was even kinder than I had hoped for with the work of David Sitek (of TV on the Radio) and his above par production skills with another beloved New York band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The band just released its 3^rd studio album a bit more than a fortnight ago, entitled It’s Blitz!

But before I get into that, I’m going to show you what (more particularly who) they’re working with. Formed in 2000, the band was founded by the insanely fashion-forward Karen O (Karen Lee Orzolek if you’re nasty), a half Polish half South Korean, but all badass lead singer. The energy she has on stage is something generally unseen these days, and brings the boys back for more (also being one of the hottest women in music doesn’t hurt).

The guitarist of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs feels to me like the artist pick of the litter. Nick Zinner has that scene look (but done right), complete with the skinny frame, tight clothes, and wicked hair style. Hell he’s even a vegan and runs with everyone’s favorite animal activists, PETA. When needed, he jumps on the keys to bring this album’s dancier tracks to life.

But the glue of the band has to come from Brian Chase, the drummer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He might be one of the most unique drummers, even musicians, which I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Brian “suffers” (I use this term loosely because it sounds badass) from Sound-Color Synesthesia, which enables him to see colors based on the sounds that he hears. What’s more, is that he doesn’t show of too often, but instead brings back the nostalgic feelings of the power trio, of which we hardly ever see.

Nick, Karen, and Brian

But let’s get into It’s Blitz… For all old fans of the band, this album is a little bit of juxtaposition in comparison to their early albums. But don’t let that jar you, it’s still amazing. First thing that everyone should know is that Karen O is doing a lot more singing, as opposed to more of yelling at us. Not that yelling was bad, this is just different. As far as a theme goes, the songs don’t feel like they connect too much lyrically, unless I’m missing something. But musically, the tracks keep on the dancier side, with a few dips into the sadder ballads.

As I said before, the album was produced by British producer Nick Launay, along with fellow New Yorker and guitarist for TV on the Radio, David Sitek. It was harder to pinpoint the work of Nick (whose worked with Talking Heads, Arcade Fire, INXS, and Silverchair to name a few), while Sitek’s work was a bit fresher in the mind to me.

For instance, Track 6, Shame and Fortune felt very much like something you’d hear on a TV on the Radio track. The song has a drums and filtered guitar made me think instantly of a perhaps omitted track on Dear Science.

Also on the introductory track, Zero, I felt as if it was a faster version of Dear Science’s intro track Halfway Home. Of course it has its own feel, but the point is that it’s very Sitek to me.

Dragon Queen, the 8^th track, is my first of three favorites. It made me want to dance, with my usual pelvic thrusting goodness. Particularly though, a good breakdown always gets me going. At about 1:25 you get a taste of it for a few seconds, but then the best is at 1:55, and again at 2:30. Karen O sounds like a badass, and Brian Chase has some illy switch-ups here and there, to finish with another sick breakdown at 3:10 to song’s end. Don’t forget to pay homage to Nick’s funk guitar echoing in the background, with the added synth to boot.

Track 7, Runaway, was one of the sadder songs, opened by a simple piano score for the first 40 seconds. I think this song was amazing mainly because it was good to hear Karen O master her soft singing skills. This tells me she’s not a one trick pony (unless whorish tricks are your thing). The first chorus is soft and inviting, not unlike Mama Blanco, while the rest of song has a heavier middle, and powerful instrumental outro.

The bands softer side.

But number one with a bullet goes to track 5, Dull Life, a track I can guarantee will get a spot on my 2009 best singles list. Introduced with a sexy guitar intro, Karen whispers us in to the midpoint of the album. After the track picks up at the quarter minute mark, Karen and the guitar are in synch, a method just original enough to sound awesome still. As the energy perpetuates, the second chorus has music full swing, adding “It’s a dull life!” several times. Nick goes back to his solo, which gradually gets added to by the bass and viola, leading to another powerful chorus, complete with ringing guitar outro. SEX.

This album is heavyweight, and my article can’t really do it justice. New and old fans alike will not be disappointed. For those of you going to Coachella, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the main acts on Sunday the 19^th, so don’t miss it. Yeah Yeah Yeahs still have it, and I hope to get some spicy video action for you at the festival. Give the album a listen, and then go cop it, because you know me, I’m always right.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak