Singen auf deutsch? Nein, auf englisch!

(translation: sing in german? no, in english!)

so i'm currently abroad in vienna, austria and my second night here i had the privilege of attending a cd release party for a local act, gasmac gilmore. the band itself was okay. not up my alley - they struck me as a mediocre system of a down with randomly inserted ska guitar parts. they did put on a pretty good show though, which included having a slide on stage and allowing people to slide down it which i thought was clever.

however, i don't really mean to do a review of the show as i knew zero of the songs and wasn't really all that into it. however, one thing struck me as odd during the show. gasmac gilmore sang everyone of their songs in english. this got me thinking, why do so many bands in non-english speaking countries sing in english? gasmac gilmore is obviously one example, but think about kings of convenience (norway), air (france), i'm from barcelona (sweeden)... i could name plenty more. so i spent the better part of my saturday evening wondering about this and i've got two potential theories:
(1) english simply lends itself to song better. i'm not an expert in languages so i don't know if this is true or not. maybe a linguistics major out there can help me out. but i mean there are obviously bands that do sing in other languages. rammstein sang in german and that worked out for them. so why shouldn't gasmac gilmore do so as well?
(2) bands go with english hoping that it will open the door for them to the larger music market of america (and perhaps britain as well - although someone mentioned that 'making it big' for a band from the uk might be considered making it in america. i'll defer on this to mindset's uk expert... kd, thoughts?) but i could see the dream of cracking the american market as a legitimate reason. i think it's safe to say america is one of (likely the) largest music market in the world, so bands likely dream of making it big there. and if you're going to do so, you're gonna have to be singing in english (at least most of the time, los del rio aside).

another reason was suggested to me by j siegel who is also across the pond with me, he says perhaps it is a way of groups paying tribute/honoring the fact that rock n roll is an american invention. maybe? but something tells me that gasmac gilmore doesn't care where rock is from...

please add some comments on this if you've got thoughts as i'm certainly interested to see what other people think. aufwiedersehen!
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Under the Covers....

(was there a wet t-shirt contest I didn't know about?)

What is it about today's music scene that encourages, nay, forces consumers as well as artists to pay such respect to the cover song? Here are a few recent/ recently discovered ones I just had to share. All the links lead directly to the blogpost the music can be found on...just hit the link, scroll down, and you'll find what you're looking for =)

Kanye's pseudo-cover of PB&J's "Young Folks" can be heard on All Things Go.

Ryan Adams doing classic Stones' tune "Brown Sugar"? Sorry Christine, but the only thing I can compare it to is what I imagine the Stones would sound like if Mick Jagger lost his vocal edge and the band were playing a casino in rural Minnesota circa 1987. (The Music Slut)

Or what about Snow Patrol's rendition of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love"? It's on Sound Gymnastics.

This one should take the cake: Marilyn Manson doing JT's "What Goes Around Comes Around." I can't link to it, but if you go on http://hypem.com and search for it, trust me, you'll be rewarded. However, it'a actually a pretty mellow acoustic version, but entertaining none the less.

Um, and this Panic! one is for Riley... Again the link doesn't work but search on http://hypem.com for Maneater. Yes.

Of course, no WVFI-related list of cover songs would be complete without Ted Leo's (okay, Kelly Clarkson's) "Since U Been Gone" (on The World Forgot)

Finally, my favourite I think, is a band I've never heard of (I just sacrificed indie cred for this, so appreciate it!) Je Suis France kinda covering LCD SoundSystem's "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" but the alterations are genius. Pure Genius. (on Culture Bully)

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The Blow Were Out Of My League

On May 15, minimalist pop duo The Blow performed at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, opening for Electrelane. Of course, with half of the group (Jona Bechtolt) off doing his one-man YACHT thing, Khaela Maricich was left to perform by herself, as she often does. However, despite the fact that it was just a woman alone on stage with nothing except a microphone and a backing beat, The Blow did not disappoint.

For her first song, Khaela ushered in an evening of intimacy with the song "How Naked Are We Going To Get?" She stood on stage, solitary and vulnerable, an apt opening to her set. The song was sparse, even by The Blow's standards, an invitation to the audience, bringing them into a pact with the performer, hinting at the emotional tension that underlies her otherwise poppy tendencies. For the remainder of her set, Khaela playfully danced around on stage, devoid of self-consciousness, with a kind of in-front-of-the-bedroom-mirror innocence. Her fragile voice sang about the allure of the unattainable, those things that are always just out of reach yet constantly beckon to us. In between songs, she offered lengthy anecdotes about the lyrics-writing process, providing a humorous version of her personal life.

The set formed a sort of narrative, a linear progression detailing one woman's path to empowerment and emotional well-being. From the opener to the middle songs, Khaela sang of a lonely soul, someone seeking but never truly finding love and connections. By the end, happiness appears in sight. With "Parentheses," Khaela seems to have found her elusive partner in punctuation, singing "I know I’ll be safe in these arms." While things do not turn out perfectly, she's finally okay with it. The love was real, but it's over.

After The Blow finished, I left. Today, Electrelane got a "Best New Music" label from Pitchfork. Who knew?

Setlist:
How Naked Are We Going To Get
Big U
Knowing The Things That I Know
Hock It
Hey Boy
Eat Your Heart Up
Pardon Me
Pile of Gold
Parentheses
True Affection
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P4k Fest '07

For rock-loving Europeans, the summer means one thing: festival season. The best bands in the world (plus the Goo Goo Dolls) descend upon the Old World in droves, bringing good times and good tunes to all the boys and girls. Meanwhile, the US is stuck with things like Bonnaroo, Ozzfest, and Lollapalooza. I mean, I love 3 Inches of Blood as much as the next guy, and Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" is, like, the best song ever, but sometimes I just want something a little more substantial and state-subsidized. Well, I don't think the government is going to be tossing money to The Killers anytime soon (like they need it), so the Pitchfork Music Festival will have to do instead. Today, the final lineup was announced. In addition to all the great acts already linked to the festival, Pitchfork is now bringing Mastodon, Junior Boys, Voxtrot, Cadence Weapon, Brightblack Morning Light, the Field, Cool Kids, and William Parker Quartet. Earlier this week, I purchased my ticket. Now that I know Mastodon and Voxtrot will be there, it appears that my money was well-spent.

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Bloody Pirates...

Just got back from the 8 PM showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World's End. I will not give any spoilers right now, I promise. I will, however, say that it is good, though I can tell you right now it was not my favorite of the series. (I'm not sure which of the first 2 is my favorite, but nonetheless...) I literally got home 5 minutes ago, and usually I have to stew about things more before I can give a proper review, which is why spoilers will wait until later, but I can tell whether or not I like a film by how I act on the ride home. After I finish watching a movie for the first time, I'm typically silent for the first 10 minutes or so following, but my silence has no bearing on how I feel about the movie. You can tell that based off whether or not I smile on the way home, and indeed I was smiling after this one.

I'll admit, without giving away anything, that there were definitely portions of the film that made me raise an eyebrow or question how well it flowed from the the first 2 movies, and I feel it was a little slow to pick up from where it left off (considering how Pirates 2 stopped in this gigantic action sequence), but I feel like other elements--Like the amazing action sequences--balanced out those moments. Plus, it's definitely better than certain other trilogies that came out this summer *cough*Spiderman 3*cough*.
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!!! at the Metro

March 23, Carolina and I headed to the Metro to see !!! live without any real expectations of what their live set would look like. Seemingly nothing more than a dance and funk outfit, the possibility of an all-out 2-hour dance marathon appeared most likely. But at the end of the night, the crowd was a stew of b.o., junkies, and stripping. Oh, and Jeff Albert was there. Hey, Jeff!

Toronto's Holy F*** took the stage in punctual fashion at 9:00 PM. And while I expected the band to just repeatedly seek attention by announcing their ridiculous name, their performance was an exciting and interesting electro-dance, mostly instrumental set of short tunes. Kevin O'Sullivan had described the band as "drum and bass with some f***ed up electronic s***." I didn't know whether to expect fun and energetic (IQU) or flat out disorganized noise (World's End Girlfriend).

Pet peeves about live electronic acts? Songs that drag. Nothing to see on stage. But H.F. avoided both of those trends.

Beats were smooth and catchy and songs ended just before it felt like they were dragging. The drummer was in clear view next to a bassist who didn't seem to add much to the performance except some type of conventional stage performance aesthetic. Two mix and electronic artists were the focus on opposite sides of the stage with all sorts of film reels, melodica, vocoder, turntable, and effects. A lanky feller in a t-shirt that had some joke about interpretive dance was really into it, and Carolina shot me looks to his head-bobbing, shoulder-twitching dance moves.







After H.F., !!! took the stage around 10:15, and here's a rough setlist for ya'll (any help with this is appreciated):

1. Myth Takes
2. All My Heroes Are Weirdoes.
3. KooKooka...
4. Must Be the Moon
5. Pardon My Freedom
6. Yadnus
7. A New Name
8. ???
9. Heart of Hearts
10. Break in Case of Anything
11. ???

Halfway into the first song, interpretive dance dude gets shoved repeatedly by some junkie with long blonde hair. Apparently fragile and not realizing that tends to happen when people get excited at crowded club shows, Kevin Bacon decides to summon the Metro's security. Three times.

But the mosh was inevitable, and it lasted from the front to the end of the set. Carolina and I set a goal of discovering who was the most worthless member of !!! The award might go to one of the players that 'helps out' on percussion and plays saxophone on one song. Nic Offer danced to every measure, like a cleaned-up Mickey Avalon. Shaking hips, jumping around, and free to do whatever he pleased with the mic, he never looked bored--even during the !!! tunes that are mostly instrumental.

Mario Andreoni's guitar sounded as crystal clear live as it did on Myth Takes (which might be their best 'album' to date). But the intricate bass lines and percussion are what drive the live music, and they did not disappoint.

Some unknown black female vocalist was just as entertaining on stage, dressed like Linnell from the Borat movie, she fired up the crowd and danced crazier than a Springer guest, adding more of a club dimension to the scene.

But the funk band had more of a punk crowd, and the pushing and jumping continued for 80 minutes. Tremendous energy on the whole floor, and !!! delivered big time. The night ended on somewhat of a disappointment though. The set was shorter than it could have been (especially for a $16 ticket), and I had never heard a crowd cheer louder for an encore and not receive it. Clapping and screaming continued for 15-20 minutes until almost all instruments were carried off stage and the finality of the show was obvious. No performance of "Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard."

Definitely check out !!! if they're in the area, but expect a little violence and intensity along the way.
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Ted Leo and the Hoodie Conspiracy: A Timeline

October 2006
Ted Leo performs at the LaFortune Ballroom. Suddenly, then-Station Manager Catherine McGeeney realizes that Ted Leo worked at WVFI yet has no signature WVFI hoodie. The troops rally for a change. Unfortunately there are no hoodies to be had at the time of his visit.


Spring 2006
A fresh order of WVFI hoodies arrives at the station, yet no one has Leo's contact info. He remains without hoodie.

March 12, 2007
The first exclusively Leo MINDset post is made about a video on AOLmusic. If Leo would have owned a hoodie at the time, surely a WVFI plug would have made it past the video editing board.










March 20, 2007
Release of Living With the Living, Leo's fifth full-length album without possession of a WVFI hoodie. Meanwhile, MINDsetters Chris Wodicka and Joe Lattal decide to buy tickets (actually Chris bought them) to see Leo perform in Chicago later that season.





ca. April 25, 2007
An attempt at myspace message correspondence is made, notifying Leo that WVFIers will be attending his Chicago gig, and we hope to deliver a hoodie to him personally.


April 28, 2007, 6:30 PM
Plans to eat at a Giordano's on Belmont are screwed up by impossible parking conditions in Boystown and poor service (despite a perfectly executed order-ahead). Not only does the group head to Leo's show late (which now includes fellow MINDsetters Kelly Duoos, Christine Nguyen, and Steve Fabian), missing the openers Love of Diagrams, but they miss any chance of handing off a WVFI hoodie directly to Leo before he takes the stage.


8:00 PM
The group arrives at the venue only to find that the Metro floor is already packed, and the MINDset group will have to reside near the back. Ted takes the stage and opens with the closing chords of "My Vien Ilyn" before going into "Sons of Cain."

9:58 PM
Realizing that it's now or never for the hoodie, Duoos and Nguyen push me through a crowd to the front to attempt a hoodie launch. With only a few measures left of "Walking To Do," I heave it over his head, between Leo and his second guitarist, in an attempt for the hoodie to be seen but not interrupt the performance. Only one of those goals was met. No one seems to notice the hoodie on the stage. Leo continues with a cover of Chumbawumba's "Rappaport's Testament," while the second guitarist glances at the hoodie like a rag.

10:08 PM
The band leaves the stage, no one picks up the hoodie. But hope springs that someone will discover it, realize its intent for the upper half of Leo's body, and return it to its rightful recipient.

10:15-12:00 PM
Several phone calls are made to multiple contacts in my cell phone saved as "Ted Leo." No response. I leave several stress-saturated messages that there is a hoodie for him back at the Metro.

April 29, 2007
Phone calls continue in the afternoon, but now the calls go straight to voice mail.

May 23, 2007, 8:50 PM
Waiting for Holy F*** to take the stage before !!!, Carolina Surla suggests that I call Ted one more time to follow up on the hoodie. He answers on the third ring. I explain the reason for my call. He says, "oh, man. I didn't see it [the WVFI hoodie] there. I really want one of those." Leo tells me he will send me contact info to mail him one.

The legend continues.
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The Used: Lies For the Liars

Poor The Used... They peaked so early what with Warped Tour cred and a lead singer that could date a reality TV star (though probably not anyone's first pick). They had a 'Taste of Ink' and TRL fame, and now? Well, there really isn't a place for The Used in pop or punk. My Chemical Romance and Panic! at the Disco have filled in the pop gaps, both enjoying major success in their young careers. Bands who have paid their dues are also starting to get their time in the sun as well--groups like From First to Last, etc. Then there are the other bands who have enjoyed consistent success, such as AFI. Never taking over the rock and roll world, but when their new material came out, it gained some hype.

So what about The Used? Since their big bang in the beginning of the decade, the group has little to show for their success. Starting out as a mainstream punk band in the vein of My Chemical Romance, The Used have repeatedly sought to reinvent their sound on each release. Their last album, In Love and Death, sounded a little heavier than their typical 10-14 yr. old fans might have enjoyed. These were the same kids that made mix-CDs with Simple Plan and Sugarcult juxtaposed alongside their beloved The Used--not Between the Buried and Me and Killswitch Engage tracks.

Now on their latest, Lies For the Liars, the band has taken this edgy approach to their old sound to produce a poor substitute for an uber-electro-AFIish, post-Refused, washed up, overdramatized, and unoriginal record. The only plus on the whole album is, believe it or not, some of McCracken's vocals. Although he has a tendency to overdo it (like every song is performed in the rain at the funeral of a beautiful woman), he has more vocal talent than the usual players in the genre. But the music? It's a sad attempt at incorporating mechanical and industrial elements into a punk melody that has little substance to begin with. On several tracks, the production plays with computerized noise, soundtrack-like editing techniques, and other quirks. But the result is as weak as a WWF entrance anthem. There isn't much worth talking about here because it's more of the same. Imagine the 3-4 worst tracks off the worst AFI, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, and other comparable bands' albums. Add them all together, and what do you get? Lies For the Liars!

When the time comes for another album, what won't The Used try next? Panic! has license on the orchestral arrangements. My Chemical Romance has the fashion ("They stole from Green Day." "No, Green Day stole from us!"). The Used need to find their own trademark even this late in the game. Fortunately, their loyal fanbase keeps giving them second chances (for some reason). Fortunately there is enough organization in the genre that no one really needs to be original either.

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
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My city's summer festival can beat up yours.

The lineup for Coney Island's Siren Festival was just announced, to the delight [and jaded scorn] of NY hipsterdom. The annual Village Voice-sponsored concert, which also happens to be free, enters what might be its last year, as the famous Astroland is set to be destroyed and replaced with evil symbols of capitalist wealth (read: condos and stuff).

According to Brooklyn Vegan, the initial lineup consists of New York Dolls, We Are Scientists, Matt And Kim, The Black Lips, Dr. Dog, Lavender Diamond, The Detroit Cobras, Elvis Perkins, and The Twilight Sad.

I mean, I like the new-wave-revival as much as anyone else, and who can go wrong with Matt and Kim (seriously), but I still hope they add some other cool acts. For example, last year, they brought in Interpol -- sort of. Actually, it was just She Wants Revenge. Nevermind.

Sometimes I look at past Siren lineups and cry.

2004: Death Cab, Blonde Redhead, Trail of Dead, TV on the Radio, The Fiery Furnaces, The Thermals
2003: Modest Mouse, Ted Leo, !!!, other bands I don't listen to
2002: The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Les Savy Fav

I blame Pitchfork for this and most of the problems of the world. Obvi!

Sometimes I wish I lived close to Seattle, Chicago, or Austin.

Coming next: A review of The Blow @ The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza (worst venue name ever).
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Furious George

This Saturday evening, i along with a few fellow mindsetters had the privilege of seeing Elkhart's own Furious George. Although i'm not a huge fan of the band's style of music (hard rock with just a pinch of metal), i'll give a brief review of the show - in note form:

the low points:
*the set change: the set change between Chicago metal band Mazarene (who i just missed) and Furious George must have lasted 45 minutes. Hell, Neil Peart can set up his drumset in a fourth of that time. if that means nothing to you, check this sucker out:

*make some f*cking noise: if i had a dollar for every time the frontman said this, or something to that effect, i would have bought the band the multiple rounds of jaeger shots they wanted and still had enough to buy the new linkin park cd tomorrow. (he did partly make up for this though by wearing a "smile if you swallow" shirt, if anyone knows where to get one of these... hook me up.
*guitar solos: not sure exactly what effect pedal the guitarist was using, but he made sure that he used it on every solo... resulting in 15 solos that all sounded exactly alike.

the high points:
*the band's timing/tightness: nothing turns me off from a band more than when they can't play their songs without getting off beat or messing up the tempo of the song. Furious George was very solid in this regard.
*the sound guy: clearly a huge Furious George fan, he tried his best to singlehandedly start a mosh pit... unfortunately for me nothing developed.
*the drummer: to quote joe lattal, "why do these bands always have really good drummers?" this guy even knew how to properly use a double bass pedal.. i was quite impressed.

and the highlight of the night...
*the covers: the set opened with a godsmack song (the title escapes me now) and ended with the following trio of power: limp bizkit "break stuff"; static x "push it"; and drowning pool "bodies" - the last of which was by special request from Pat the bartender.

so yeah, that's Furious George. all that's left to be said is: "let the bodies hit the floor!"

ps: sorry for the lack of photos, i am yet to join the digital camera revolution.
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It's been a while...

(Paramore: picture from purevolume.com)

...since I’ve written anything. I’ve had some password issues.
So here’s a summary of my most recent purchases.


1. Santi: The Academy Is…

The Academy Is broke onto the music scene with Almost Here in 2005. They had a successful tour with Panic!, Hellogoodbye, and Acceptance. Their second full length album, Santi, came out last month, and was a less than adequate follow-up. The songs are good, but even my favorite, “Neighbors," has a chorus that is anticlimactic compared to the Almost Here’s catchy and energetic refrains. It’s not surprising that TAI will be touring with my second disappointing download, Fall Out Boy.

2. Infinity On High: Fall Out Boy

The only explanation I can offer for this disaster is that FOB was budget-happy. After the roaring success of From Under the Cork Tree, the industry that is Fall Out Boy received a major budget inflation. The CD includes dozens of new, unnecessary instruments and a full chorus whenever possible. I won’t even go into the guest appearance of Jay-Z. I will bring up the point that the band fell in love with a single line, “This ain’t a scene, it’s a goddamn arms race.” I will pay someone $5 dollars to count how many times this line is said during the first single released for the album. Consider this deal; you could use it to purchase the new Spill Canvas EP.

3. Denial Feels So Good EP: The Spill Canvas

For many people, The Spill Canvas’ last CD was too chill. My advice for these people: don’t bother giving them a second chance. If One Fell Swoop wasn’t for you, Denial definitely won’t be. I, personally, am a TSC fan, but I was less than satisfied with this EP. The “remix” of Stapplegunned is hardly an exciting change from the original; I think I noticed one added echo. The title track brings back a bit of the band’s aggressive edge, and is the most worthwhile listen on the CD. The rest has a new sound for the group, but isn’t worth more than a few replays.

4. All We Know is Falling: Paramore

I have to admit, I liked this one. I’ll recommend it for fans of Anberlin, Taking Back Sunday, or Plain White Ts. I always enjoy a decent rocker chick, and lead singer Hayley provides this rare sound in today’s music scene. Don’t be fooled by their 14-year-old emo following. Give it a listen.

6. A different light: Sherwood

This is my up-beat, catchy, running album of the month. If you’re a fan of Relient K, Cartel, or The Fold, you may want to check out Sherwood. Actually, I was surprised to hear a very Postal Service-esque track, Alley Cat. The lyrics aren’t anything groundbreaking, but it’s a fun listen. The Simple Life even begins with a hint of The Decemberists. I’ll leave you with my favorite track, “Song In My Head.” Enjoy.

7. The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch: Cute is What We Aim for

I can live with a preposition at the end of a title. That's fine. It's the cocky, predictable lyrics of CIWWAF that I cannot stand. I saw them at my first Jack's Mannequin concert at the House of Blues in Orlando. They were a joke in performance, dress, and musical ability. For some reason, I thought I'd give them a second chance, and it was a waste of time. I was probably just putting off studying for finals.

That’s all for now. Happy summer all!

-Jackie

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Support Music: Shell Out Cash

I have been looking forward to tomorrow for a long time. Three words: new Linkin Park.

Actually, that's a joke.

Buy the new Wilco but don't put it on in the car on the way home. You might fall asleep at the wheel and die.

You should also check out the "new" Horrors' CD, which, as with most things, actually came out in the UK a while back.

There's also a new Rufus Wainwright CD.

"I love Rufus!" - many a music fan
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5 May 2007 -- The Kooks live at Metro Chicago

I bought my ticket for Saturday's Kooks show on Feb. 8th... so it goes without saying that I had been looking forward to it for a long time. What I had expected from the Kooks was a very acoustic, very laid back performance. But what we got instead was a high-energy rock'n'roll romp with the cutest things Brighton has ever produced. The band began the set with the same two songs that begin the album but with one major difference being simply their energy in performing and enthusiasm for the material. On the studio album, Inside In/Inside Out, the sound is clean but feels a bit restrained -- this is luckily not the case for their live shows during which nothing is held back! Seaside is rather subdued and acoustic but, after breaking into See the World, the Kooks rocked out hard without looking back.

The band performed quite a bit of new material since it has been a while since their debut album came out last spring (in the UK). It was so interesting to compare the new Kooks songs to those on the album. In a live setting, the new ones are a bit more rock'n'roll. The difference is this: while I often describe Inside In/Inside Out as having an early-Beatles sound, the new Kooks material is very Rolling Stones. It rocks, hard. It has guitar solos, it has ambition, and most of all, attitude.

The new material is really, genuinely good; the Kooks delivered their latest with a vast amount of energy... the maturation and progress from the first album is highly evident. Mostly, these guys just know how to put on a show. One of the only bands I've seen who can pull off having a frontman who acts like a front man but plays guitar the majority of the time. This was my favourite show of the year (including last night's Arctic Monkeys). Can't wait for the second one now!

Songs:
Seaside
See the World
Eddie's Gun
Matchbox
Ooh La
Come On Down*
Time Awaits
She Moves in Her Own Way
*Oil
*Sway
*Sabateur
Naive
*Always Where
You Don't Love Me

Encore:
Jackie Big Tits
*Make Love
Sofa Song


Singer Luke Pritchard really provided a lot of the energy that made the live show so special. He just has that vibe, that charisma, that stage presence, which makes your time with him so much fun. Not to be restrained by conventional guardrails and security, Pritchard ventured into the audience once or twice. The last song, Sofa Song, got the best reaction from the crowd, everyone went nuts as 1) it is a really great song and 2) we all realized the night was almost over.

Other memorable things included: The knowing smirk whilst singing the chorus to Jackie Big Tits, an acoustic song which was not included on the band's setlist but was a more than welcome addition to the performance. Solid gold guitar action (above right). Time Awaits, the first verse. Black and white brogues (below). One very large, very pastel guitar. Luke Pritchard and his massive hair in my face (second from top).
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D.A.N.C.E.

I've had this song stuck in my head on a permanent loop for the past two days because of its awesome video. The song is D.A.N.C.E. by Justice, a French electro duo. (What's the deal with french duos being awesome?)

I thought I'd share it with everyone. Here's the final version of it. (note the unfinished version of the video is also worth checking out)

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Along Came a Spider

Without a doubt, this summer is the summer of the threequel. Between the new Pirates of the Carribean, the next Bourne installment (with Julia Stiles once again reprising her completely unnecessary role), and the third Shrek, theatergoers will have several opportunities to throw their money away and support bloated movie franchises and the big (read: evil capitalist) studios that peddle them.

The first of this year's threequels is already out: Spider-Man 3. The movie is packed with a lot -- perhaps a little too much. You have three villains; you have a seemingly omniscient butler (but what movie doesn't these days?); you have Bryce Dallas Howard in a blonde wig playing a physics major/model/police chief's daughter/damsel in distress; you have Bruce Campbell as a stereotyped French guy; yet, most importantly, you have an emo Peter Parker/Conor Obserst lookalike. I did notice one potentially troubling thing about this transformation. For one thing, Conor Oberst can't shoot webbing from his wrists, but even if he could, he surely wouldn't swing in front of an American flag, as Spider-Man does at one point in the movie. However, then I remembered that, by this point, Peter Parker had given up his emo ways.

This leads me to my next point. There's a clear, especially noble message underneath all the pumpkin-bomb explosions and giant villains made of sand. The message: don't be emo. If you're emo, your life will fall apart. You'll lose everything, including cinematic credibility.

To sum up my thoughts, this movie made me dumber, and it actually made X-Men III look like a competent effort. Dear God, I kneel humbly before you. All I ask is that you give me back my $7.75 and those two hours and twenty minutes of my life.
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New Kids on the Blog

In addition to posting news, tour dates, concert reviews/photos, and Avril Lavigne videos, Mindset strives to introduce you to the best new music. In this spirit, I want to tell you about an amazing up-and-coming group I just discovered: New Kids on the Block. I found a bunch of their albums in the bottom of a bin in my cousin's garage, right underneath a pile of Maroon 5 bootlegs. I've deleted everything else on my 60 gig iPod, because this is the only music I'll ever need again. I think we should push for Legends to get them to play Notre Dame. Maybe they'd even do The Show. ::crosses fingers::

Visit us at HTTP://MINDSETSCENE.BLOGSPOT.COM
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Spider-Man 3

So Chris, Kelly, Christine and I saw the midnight opening of Spider-Man 3 and well... there's no other way to say this... it was awful. Awful enough to break me out of my no blogging streak and write about it.

I had little to no expectations for the movie given that I was completely unaware it was coming out this weekend until Wednesday night; however, despite these very limited expectations I was still hugely disappointed. The movie was entirely silly - every other scene made me raise my hands in disbelief and mutter "WTF?" There were too many plot lines that resulted in many "reaches" if you will (eg: alien goo and amnesia being key plot drivers). Far too much crying as well.

But the largest "WTF" of the film is the bizarre emo Peter Parker that shows up. He mats his hair down over his face, changes into black clothes, and then things just get too silly. (I couldn't help but think of Conor Oberst the whole time). Basically made it seem like the movie's message "Don't be emo. if you are black slime will take control of your body" (as said by C-wod).

So yeah, that's my rant. A very forgettable movie that was likely made just because the studio knew it will sell tickets. Use your 2+ hours better - watch tonight's Office four times.
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Junior Boys

I just got back from the Junior Boys concert in Chicago. It's 4 AM so I'll put some stuff down then edit it later today, since I can do that with the ol' blogosphere, or whatever.
The set:
1. Count Souvenirs
2. The Equalizer
3. Teach Me How to Fight
4. Like a Child
5. Birthday
6. Double Shadow
7. So This is Goodbye
8. In the Morning
9. More Than Real
Encore:
10. Under the Sun

I'm 100% sure these are the songs they played, but the order of 7 through 9 is somewhat hazy, since these were kept by memory.

Suprises: guitar and bass, drums on top of drum machine, no "FM," Junior Boys didn't have that pre-recorded feel, many songs from Last Exit (3, 5, 9, and 10), layout of the Empty Bottle, great concert shirts but no buttons (what can i say? I like concert buttons). Updates soon to come.

Update: For rather obnoxious circumstances, I had to go to this one on my own, a cause for heightened senses, greater awareness, and more adrenaline walking back to my car after the show. When I arrived it was halfway through San Serac, who surrounded himself with various keyboards and devices. Some of his voice modulation effects were very pleasing as well is his fast paced rush of other computer sounds. The Empty Bottle's setup is a bit strange. There are a couple rooms tucked away with with old arcade machines and sofas and such. The main room is a long rectangle with the stage at one corner and a bar along one side, and on other side near the stage is this raised area a little higher than the stage where you can view the show. That is where I was. The stage isn't connected to any door, so San Serac bumped into me at one point while removing his equipment from the stage.

I was only expecting two people from Junior Boys, each on a keyboard. Not so. They had a drummer, Jeremy Greenspan played guitar and bass, and Matt Didemus had one large keyboard, a smaller keyboard controller, and an Apple laptop. I know LCD Soundsystem is fond of drums on drum machine, but I can't say there is much of that on Junior Boys' albums. However, it added quite a bit to "Teach Me How to Fight." Didemus was so freaking smooth. He would play a few notes on one keyboard, nonchalantly hit a few keys on the other, amble over to his laptop and adjust a few parameters, all while taking a few draws off his cigarette. All the electronic shows I've been to have been pre-recorded and put on a rail, and sometimes that left no time for the band to talk to the audience. The Junior Boys, however, could start and stop their songs at will, so though certain parts are prerecorded, it didn't feel abrupt or forced in any way. The only song they played I didn't like was "Double Shadow." But let me explain, this song is nearly perfect on the album. This is all the more reason to change the pace and timing of it extensively during a show, which they did. This was the last show of their tour, though they will be playing at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July I believe. They ended with "Under the Sun," which they really rocked out at the end. I thought this was appropriate for the coming Summer season.

Photo courtesy of Radio Free Chicago. This is from last Fall, but it gives the right impression of Didemus.
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OMG OMG OMG

There has been some talk going around that next year's Mindset, with Riley and me at the helm, will be in trouble. This talk is 100% spot-on. For instance...



So, which Yeah Yeah Yeahs song did she rip off this time? Also, can we expect a Ted Leo cover? I'm thinking not, if this quote is any indication:

"My love affair with Kelly Clarkson is largely, pretty much, with a wink and a nod. Not that I don't think she's talented, not that I don't think she's done great things with other people's songs."

Maybe it can give Gwen Stefani a run for her money in the song-of-the-year race. Maybe it can even win the much-sought-after Grammy for "Best Female Rock/Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals."
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