North Ridgeville, Ohio

So here i am, sitting in a Super 8 Motel in the fine city (town?) of North Ridgeville, OH, which is basically a Celveland suburb off of I-80 which happens to be right next to North Olmsted and Olmsted Falls. How could i resist? i didn't even have to go out of the way to find the place - it's literally a minute from the interstate. This is my stop en route from Iowa City to Hartford and i envisioned a night of watching playoff basketball and drinking beer in my hotel room. i caught some of th Cavs game before heading to grab some dinner and then picked up a sixer of High Life tallboys, which i do not intend to finish but will certainly put a serious dent in. So, i returned only to learn that the hotel does not have ESPN. Wait, seriously? No ESPN? Apparently not, so we're looking at a night of blogging and watching the Bourne Identity on USA.
i haven't been doing a whole lot of reviewing lately, but being in the midst of another 1000 mile roadie made me think, what would the "soundtrack" to the trip look like? On the way out, i didn't really bring any CDs but rather just listened to my iTrip, which i hate. It sounds like i'm listening to my music on an AM station that hardly comes in. i have to turn it up twice as loud as a CD and it still has static. And if i come near an urban area (urban: see Toledo, OH) it totally goes bonkers. Fortunately, i was able to amass quite a few CDs in 3 months in Iowa City, so i didn't have to rely on the iTrip. Tomorrow we cruise through Pennsylvania, where the reception on the iTrip will be a lot better. Today's score:
David Karsten Daniels: "Sharp Teeth." Without a doubt, one of my favorite albums of the year thus far, right there with Menomena and Of Montreal. It hasn't been getting much love from the critics, but it's just a beautiful and well-written album. Some of the most simply poignant songwriting i've heard.
Andrew Bird: "Armchair Apocrypha." This one really grew on me. i wasn't that impressed when i first bought it, but it's been rewarding with repeated listens. i particularly like "Cataracts" and "Heretics." More electric than his previous masterpiece, "The Mysterious Production of Eggs," and not quite as good. But very impressive.
Wu-Tang Clan: "Forever." i was feeling tired this morning and needed some audio coffee after the two songwriter albums. Where better to start than with "Triumph," one of the most intense hip-hop joints i've ever heard. i spun it three times before deciding, fuck it, i'm going to listen to the whole double album. There's a lot of filler, but their 1997 sophomore record has some compelling raps. After, i listened to "Triumph" three more times.
Clipse: "Hell Hath No Fury." i don't care what anyone says, this was 2006's finest hip-hop release. Better than "Fishscale." Sorry.
Subtle: "For Hero: For Fool." Hip hop, but in a totally different vein from the last two. Totally spastic and neurotic. Amazing.
Patrick Wolf: "The Magic Position." i'm not sure if this is out in the states yet, but my goodness is it good. The precocious British songwriter offers a dramatic and varied record. i haven't listened to it enough to profess my love for it, but the title track is seriously charming.
Arcade Fire: "Neon Bible." i don't know if anyone else feels this way, but i'm finding that most of the releases from this year so far that i've been really looking forward to have come up short, and Neon Bible is no exception. There's some good songs on this, but i think overall it's entirely flat. i happen to enjoy "Intervention" and "My Body Is a Cage," but what's going on with this band? If there was ever a band to avoid a sophomore slump, it was this one. i feel as though they intended for this to be their "statement" album, or something, but the message is all confused up in clumsy lyrics. i'm not sure that Arcade Fire was ever a great lyrical band, but "Funeral" was cathartic in every aspect, and a beautiful, delicate, and often anthemic album. "Neon Bible" doesn't go near that territory. On "Funeral," they achieved greatness that must have been effortless, because here on the new album it just seems like they tried too hard.
At this juncture, i'm in New York trying to finish a post that i started half a week ago because i'm often too scatterbrained to finish posts when i start them, and it's no longer about what it started as. But along the lines of Arcade Fire, i find i'm also terribly dissapointed in the new Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes as well. Modest Mouse is horribly uncompelling and while "Cassadaga" starts and ends strong, the middle section is the most boring string of music Conor has ever done. The albums i've found that are truly great this year are the ones i've stumbled upon without anticipating greatness: Menomena, Of Montreal, David Karsten Daniels. This is why i rarely buy albums on the day they come out anymore, something i used to do all the time. Which brings me to my next post.

Silly Bright Eyes

Thanks to Stereogum for running this story:
http://www.stereogum.com/archives/005203.html#more

You never know what you're going to get at a Bright Eyes show. As for the new album, it's kind of disappointing. Ironically i've got "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" on right now. So much better. But the end od "Cassadaga" is really strong. i'm particularly into "No One Would Riot For Less" and "Coat Check Dream Song."

also, i've got a broken finger and typing really is a drag, so the festival recap hasn't been finished. maybe it never will be. Who knows. Heading east on Saturday.

i almost forgot: Obelisk and MC Cat Genius

Also crazy from Thursday night: the Physical Challenge dance party that took place in the downstairs section of the bar, featuring St. Louis hip hop duo Obelisk and MC Cat Genius. They didn't really rap much - they mostly just rocked beats and played still images of random objects and cats on a projector. MC Cat Genius was as billed: feline. There's not a whole lot else i can say. When Scott and i arrived, they were playing a song which we weren't really paying attention to at first, until we realized what the words were: "Telephone...in your butt. Dinosaur bone...in your butt." And then, our fave: "Money...in your butt. 50 dollars...in your butt." It was priceless. i can't wait to have them back next year.

Day Two: Heathers, etc at the Mill

Thursday we trekked down for the first of two nights during which we would be primarily camped out at the Mill. We arrived in time for dinner and drinks and a crowded bill that started with Chicago duo Kinzie House bringing us low-key but very enjoyable electronic pop music, a la some sort of fusion of the Blow and Beach House. The beats were the highlight of an otherwise subdued performance.



Kinzie House left us looking for our beers and eagerly awaiting Liam Carey, a songwriter from Oakland who runs e14 records as well as playing in the band Mandrake. Before Liam, Twelve Canons took the stage, and i took this opportunity to run over to the Picador to see what was going on there. Unfortunately, this would become a theme of the night. i was really interested in seeing Gowns, and experimental band featuring former members of the band the Mae Shi, but every time i got to the Pic they would be in between bands. My fears were confirmed, and Gowns were to play at exactly the same time as Heathers at the Mill, and i wasn't about to miss Tanner playing. So i bounced back to the Mill for Liam, whose voice took us all be surprise. Armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar, he serenaded us with some surprisingly haunting songs that left me thinking, "How did that voice come out of that man?" A truly cathartic and giant voice treated us to one of the finest sets of the entire festival. It must be lamented that he hasn't produced any solo recordings. Judging from my conversation with him prior to the concert, his focus is planted more firmly on Mandrake as a full-time band. It's too bad, because these songs really ought to be heard by many and committed to record.

Following Liam we had Winter Blanket, a band from Minneapolis who sound remarkably similar to fellow Minnesotans Low, and who have curiously worked with Low in the past. The quandry happened again, as i was stoked to see Gowns. i was able to catch a few songs of Winter Blanket before running over to the Picador, where i did finally see Gowns. For about half a song. They took the stage and i knew that Heathers would be playing in about 10 minutes, so i decided i would see what i could and then head back to the Mill. When the started, i knew the performance was going to be intimate, ear-pounding, and extremely different sounding show. As a three-piece, the singer was shredding on her guitar and using a megaphone, while the keyboardist/violinist was also singing into two microphones simultaneously and the drummer had his drums draped in towels. They bathed the limited audience in beautiful noise before i felt the pull back to the Mill.



Finally, a local and personal favourite for us, Heathers, a trio comprised of all three executive producers of the festival. Tanner plays guitar and Andre handles most of the synths while they split singing duties and Emi rips up the cello. They hit us with their normal set of acoustic folk along the lines of the Good Life, but with more synths. Lots more synths. The set majestically concludes with the dance-party portion of the set, which doesn't make any sense, but somehow makes all the sense in the world. This was made more fun by Craig, Scott, and i vocally sampling Girl Talk as we drunkenly danced like fools. Heathers might be my favourite band in the world right now.

An insanely long time between posts: Day One, cont'd.

So i spent the past week a.) recovering and b.) getting used to going back to work after having the entire festival off. Conclusions: 1.) going back to work at a job that you aren't even that stoked about sucks. 2.) we (and by we, i mean me) only need to go on a bender like that once a year. i await next year's festival both with quivering anticipation and trepidation.

The final band of the evening Wednesday at the Yacht Club was the most excellent Cartright, from Austin, TX. This band could have tore this club to the ground, and probably is in the top 5 bands i saw this weekend. They played new songs as well as all the songs off their self-released EP "A Tall Tale Comes of Age." The band recently became a six piece and looked very comfortable as such. Lead singer Ben Russell rocks the acoustic guitar and a fierce beard, as noted in photos. His smoky voice irritated me the first time i heard the record - it's now endeared itself to me drastically. Without a doubt, the band mixes an indie rock barroom feel with a southwestern vibe as well as anyone. It's far too raucous to be alt-country, but rather bears the dusty troubadour sound that makes me think that this is what the Refreshments might have sounded like if they were more restless and weren't signed to a major label. Perhaps what amazed me the most is how well the crowd responded to all these bands on the first night despite the fact that none of them have much of an audience, nor had they played Iowa City, at least in recent memory. It was a testament to the people's taste in good music here in IC, as many turned out for an incredibly successful first night of the festival.