That Was The Show That Was: Cymbals Eat Guitars with Wildhoney and Field Mouse | Sept. 16 | Great Scott

[PHOTO: Dillon Riley] Indie rock leading lights Cymbals Eat Guitars are established Clicky Clicky favorites, and its latest LP has only burnished our esteem for the east coast troupe. We last caught them opening for the legendary Bob Mould in 2014, when the fourtet dispensed gorgeous takes on tunes from that year's triumphant Lose -- a record considered, at the time at least, a pronounced "classic rock" pivot away from the band's math-ier earlier efforts. Critics fawned over the set, while sales of the Barsuk-released album were, in a word, underwhelming; some less than stellar touring ensued. Last Friday, however, we witnessed the group in high spirits at a thronged Great Scott on the release night of what should be Cymbals Eat Guitars' true pop breakthrough, Pretty Years.

Cymbals Eat Guitars presented a brilliant night of live rock sounds, including several selections off the already-life-affirming Pretty Years (out now on Sinderlyn). Well-regarded album tasters "July 4th," "Wish," and "Have A Heart" all shone brightly. But a clear highlight was the performance of "Close," the most winsome of the new collection's 10 tunes, whose a massive and charging earworm chorus was thrilling live and ranks among the best you'll hear in 2016. Stream "July 4th," "Wish," and "Have A Heart" via the Soundcloud embed below.

The band also offered a healthy sampling of tracks off the aforementioned Lose, including a towering, noise-addled, and set-ending take on that record's woozy centerpiece "Laramie." The sole concession to the group's earlier records was a midset "...And The Hazy Sea," the Why There Are Mountains opener, which somehow manages to fit in the band's sets despite its gangly pace. In spite of relative commercial indifference, Cymbals Eat Guitars' work continues to place it among the elite song shapers in American indie rock. Whether or not Pretty Years achieves the success it rightfully deserves, we can state with complete confidence that the group has become a crucial live act, a belief Friday's performance only reinforced.

Highly touted Baltimore dream-pop quintet Wildhoney opened the evening with its customary savoir faire. While its first EP for hitmakers Topshelf Records, Your Face Sideways, is a neat primer for the group's preternatural melodic gifts, the combo's greatest composition to date came just this summer via Slumberland's tour de force compilation Continental Drift. "Horror Movie," one of Wildhoney's two glorious offerings on Drift, is pop perfection from the grooves, but its live airing Friday evening presented a sharper edge, with the group's dueling guitars cutting across the mix like sabers.

Another of Topshelf's great indie pop concerns, Field Mouse, batted second in the lineup, fresh off the release of their own fantastic new record Episodic. Field Mouse's Rachel Browne (who recently penned a must-read essay for The Talkhouse about touring with a serious illness) is a collected fronter and perfect foil to lead guitarist Andrew Futral's unmic'd and consistently stoked spokesman. Episodic doesn't stray far sonically from the combo's debut Hold Still Life: short, punchy, and compact pop numbers are the rule on both. The complexity of Field Mouse's songs are even more apparent in a live setting: bright keyboard shades from Browne's sister Robin no longer hide in the background din, and the interplay between the two (and sometimes three) guitars is often thrillingly loud and nearly abrasive. It's a good look for a band whose songs sometimes underplay an inherent turmoil. -- Dillon Riley

Cymbals Eat Guitars: Facebook | Internerds



Related Coverage:
That Was The Show That Was: Cymbals Eat Guitars with Bob Mould | Paradise Rock Club | 12 Sept.

Going Hard In The Paint: The Young Leaves On Playing The Greatest Show Ever (So Far) And What Comes Next

[PHOTO CREDITS: Joshua Pickering, Legend] Only a week ago the dudes in The Young Leaves woke up and probably wondered if it had all been a dream. The indie punk heroes, the pride of Holliston, Mass., opened the prior night's already legendary, shoe-brand sponsored rock show at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass., which -- in case you are just waking up from a coma -- was headlined by The Replacements and also featured Dinosaur Jr. A more fabled night of music we cannot think of, at least not without raising the dead. Calling it a dream bill is a ridiculous understatement, and it is likely no one appreciates that more than The Young Leaves' guitarist and primary songwriter Christopher Chaisson, which may very well be why his trio was tapped to open the night for two-thirteenths of the bands featured in Azzerad's absolutely essential "Our Band Could Be Your Life."

The Young Leaves, of course, bring a lot to the table, and totally earned that opening slot; the band's three full-lengths and various singles bristle with undeniable hooks (Exh. A is this five-star rager) and TYL tours as much as their finances allow. We were painting some shelves this past weekend like a boss and listening through the band's catalog, and got to thinking, well, godddamn, what must it have been like to play that show? So we asked, and you can read the results below. Mr. Chaisson super graciously gave of his time and attention to answer our questions about what playing the show was like, what the status is of The Young Leaves hotly anticipated next LP, and whether the band will tour as extensively as it did last year. We thank Christopher for agreeing to the interview, and invite you to hit play on one of the Bandcamp embeds below and read through our interview.

Clicky Clicky: We saw that Facebook post in early March about getting to open for bands you could only dream of. But, goddamn, last week's show was way beyond what we had envisioned at the time. When you think about the guy you were, in the place you were, just starting out with the band in 2006, we assume this show is way outside the envelop of what your hopes and dreams were at the time. Was it hard to keep the show on the downlow for so long?

Christopher Chaisson: It's really funny because when we were first approached by Converse to play, I almost immediately thought about how I would have reacted when I first started this band. I remember seeing Dinosaur Jr. on their first reunion tour back in 2005. I showed up with a handwritten letter and a demo CD hoping that I could just throw it at J and he'd somehow find my gesture to be adorable and not want to punch me. I don't know if it was naivety or my longstanding self-confidence, but I honestly believed that he would be into it! What's great about starting a band at such a young age (I was 17 when I began this whole thing) is that you have those big dreams and you haven't been shut down and beaten up enough times to realize that most of them aren't going to happen. There's still that sense of hope that can't be replicated after you've experienced defeat or failure on multiple levels. So I think that 17-year old Christopher would have been extremely excited to play the show, but also think somewhat along the lines of, "Yeah, that's what's supposed to happen!"

Keeping the show a secret was insanely difficult because we knew that everyone was going to lose their minds. For me, I knew that all of my close family and friends were going to be freaking out because they are aware of my obsession with Dinosaur Jr. and how important it was to my development, so to them it was like I was playing in the NBA Finals or something. But to the majority of my friends, and the general public in Boston, I knew that the announcement of not only Dinosaur Jr. but also The Replacements was going to cause some serious noise. I mean, Dinosaur is a big enough band as-is to play whatever show they'd like in the city and have no difficultly packing the place on a very regular basis. The Replacements, though? That's an entirely different story! They could announce one show in the middle of nowhere and the entire country would be fighting for tickets. I was so shocked when I first got the offer from Converse that I actually e-mailed them back three times simply to double-check that the show was indeed both Dinosaur Jr. AND The Replacements and that my little band was somehow part of the gig. It was beyond reality to me.

CC: We didn't win tickets and couldn't go, which burns of course, especially as too many of our friends are calling it a quote lifetime highlight show unquote. Twenty years from now, what will you and the other guys remember about that night? Does it feel weird to be back kicking it in Holliston after all that?

Christopher Chaisson: Well, we all had different reasons for being excited for the show in the first place. Matt is a humongous Replacements fan and it was basically his dream come true to not only play with them, but to see them at such an intimate venue. He had seen them earlier in the year and told me it was the greatest performance he'd seen next to Bruce Springsteen (which, to be fair, he is obsessed with to the point that nothing could compare anyway.) Rico had never seen Dinosaur before and he also knows how important their influence has been to our band, so I think most of his excitement was geared toward seeing them live for the first time. And I was really more focused on the entire concept. To think that I grew up listening to these two bands in a way that was so instrumental in my growth as a person and songwriter, it was a trip for me to share a stage with them. In 20 years from now though, I'm hoping that our band has more moments like this so that I can recall this show as being something great in it's own right, but not career-defining or the peak of my life as a songwriter.

CC: Did you have any funny interactions with the Mats guys or Dinosaur guys? I'm guessing you guys hadn't ever met any of The Replacements before, but what about J, Lou and Murph?

Christopher Chaisson: None of us had ever met anybody from either band before, so being backstage with them was a totally new experience for us. I actually had this one teacher in high school who had been roommates with either J or Lou back in their college days, and he used to tell me stories about how they would show up at parties and sit against the wall and not saying anything for hours at a time. So I went into the situation without much expectation regarding becoming buddies with anybody or anything like that. We were supposed to do a meet-and-greet with both bands but The Replacements didn't seem to want to participate and their manager came out to talk to us like it was our idea or something. Dinosaur was down to do it I guess, but it was just a one-minute photo-shoot where we literally stood behind them, they took one picture of us, and sent us on our way.

I think the interactions we had with both bands were kind of inherently funny. My band is very energetic; we love talking and, although we know we're going nowhere, we still have that youthful sort-of-hopeful attitude about music and life. And then there are these two other bands who had been in our shoes at one point in time, but then took off and had all sorts of success and experiences that we could only dream of having. In a way, we couldn't really relate to either band on any level, other than the fact that we have some sonic similarities in our work. That's where the 17-year-old me would have been crushed; I wouldn't have understood how to react to my "idols" not sharing anything in common with me. But the 27-year old me totally got it. Just because we all play basketball at the YMCA every Thursday night doesn't mean we hang out off the court.

CC: Your remark on stage about ripping off Dinosaur and The Replacements was reported in a bunch of the initial coverage of the night. I've always considered The Young Leaves more on Team Husker Du than Team Mats. Still, as a songwriter, it's pretty hard not to be influenced by Westerberg, right? (Or, at least as a GOOD songwriter, LOL)

Christopher Chaisson: Yeah, that comment got a pretty positive reaction! Almost every article I've read that forced the writer to talk about us briefly used that as a reference. I've never been ashamed of my influences or my decision to wear them on my sleeve. In my opinion, it's part of being a great songwriter. Would Dinosaur get away with those long guitar solos and whiny vocals without citing Neil Young on their references page? Or how about The Replacements literally having their most commercially successful song titled, "Alex Chilton"? All of my favorite bands have a little bit of that in them to a certain extent: the ability to blatantly share their inspiration and then simultaneously make it their own.

As far as The Replacements vs. Husker Du, I'm definitely more of Husker Du fan and that's something that, I think you're right, comes across in my own songwriting. The Replacements really spoke to me as a kid because of the all-inclusive nature of Westerberg's lyrics. His songs were anthemic and the lyrics were usually written in the context of "we." I have always interpreted The Replacements as a band that spoke to people to try and initiate a conversation, which is most likely why so many individuals have such a strong personal connection with their material. As I grew older though, I started realizing that I wasn't part of the "we" demographic. My band wasn't going to make it, I was bound to work a regular job, and my dreams weren't going to come true (to that extent), and that's where Bob Mould comes in. Mould has always put his heart out there as his own. Every word he's ever written has been from his perspective and based on his experience. And for one reason or another, I guess I can relate to that more at this stage in my life. Also, Bob Mould is one amazing guitar player and people sometimes forget that.

CC: Your last full length came out in late 2013 and, at least according to Bandcamp, is completely sold out in its various physical formats. And we think you guys have been writing for a new full-length, but all we know is that "Whatever U" might be on it. What else can you tell us about it? Do you think there will be new music for fans to hear and/or buy this year?

Christopher Chaisson: Since late 2013, I've written about 22 to 27 songs that I have intended to use for a full-length, but we simply haven't had the time to commit to getting that done. I'm a full-time graduate student and both Matt and Rico have jobs, so this [band] unfortunately acts as a secondary part of our lives. With that said, we have a 7" single coming out at some point later this year on Jump Start Records. It features the session that we did at Q Division courtesy of Converse. The A-side is a song called "Unreal" that I wrote a couple years ago and the B-side is a re-recording of a song off our first full-length from 2007. As far as a full-length, all I can say is that it's written, the song you mentioned "Whatever U" is absolutely a part of it, but its release and recording are all up in the air. We try to do the best we can with the limited time and resources we have. Hopefully we can get that done sooner rather than later because having these songs live in my head for so long drives me crazy!

CC: You went out on a month-long tour last year. Are you planning a similarly ambitious jaunt this year, or will you be waiting to have a new release out there? Do you feel like the Rubber Tracks show will open some more doors for you from a touring standpoint?

Christopher Chaisson: 2014 was a busy year for us and although we had a terrific experience touring for so long, playing new places, and meeting all sorts of people, it was truly a once in a lifetime situation. Music can't sustain itself and bands can't succeed in this industry. It's impossible to get to a level in which you're touring the country and not accruing life-ruining debt and eating one meal a day. I think one of the things that I learned from playing a show of this caliber is how different our lives are from musicians who've "made it" to some degree. We have never been afforded any of the luxuries that came with playing that show and it was such an eye-opener and amazing feeling to be able to get a taste of that for once. To see a crew of people come to our broken down minivan and move our gear for us was mind-blowing! It was an event that I'll certainly remember forever, but it's not indicative of any expectations that anyone should have about playing in a band in 2015.

Our current touring situation is contingent on whether or not we can leave behind our lives and, essentially, not die in one way or another. If someone believes in us and comes up with a gameplan for us to tour, put out records, and not live in a sewer in our downtime from playing out, I'd be all for it and I'm sure that Matt and Rico would be too. But at this stage in our lives, we're operating conservatively to ensure that we're all living happy normal lives while maintaining some of that love and passion we have for going hard in the paint (aka, playing music.) I have no idea if the Rubber Tracks show or the session they provided us with will lead to anything, but I do know that I am forever appreciative for all that it has already done for us. It's been a great thing and I couldn't be more thankful.

Either way, I'm going to continue writing great songs whether or not anybody hears them.

CC: Well, we're super stoked ​The Young Leaves were able to play the Rubber Tracks show. One thing that strikes us about what we've talked about is ​that you sound like a​n ​upbeat, optimistic dude making art in a field​,​ so-to-speak​,​ about which ​there's a lot of ​reason for ​pessimism​,​​ from a "making a living" standpoint​. We want to end on a positive note, so, tell us, what is it about music that drives you, and what is the best thing about being in The Young Leaves?

Christopher Chaisson: I started this band with the hopes of taking the songs from my head and getting them out into the world. It didn't matter how many people listened, and it certainly didn't matter if I were generating any money at the time either.

That being said, even though my situation has changed and I have different priorities, my perspective on why I play in this band has remained the same. I just want to write music and put out records. The best part about being in this band is that I can do whatever I want with it. In the past that's meant kicking out members, taking the occasional temporary hiatus, or recording in my parents' basement with two microphones, but now that means doing things at my own pace and having as much fun as possible. I love Rico and Matt and we have the best time playing together. That's positive, right?

CC: Absolutely. Thanks for the chat, Christopher. Keep up the rock.

Christopher Chaisson: Thank YOU!

The Young Leaves' next area show is at O'Brien's in Allston Rock City at the end of the month, and, luckily for you, you don't need to win a ticket to get in. The night includes sets from Born Without Bones, Sundials and Notches, and you can grab tickets right here. Hit the embeds below to hear the last two TYL long-players.

The Young Leaves: Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud

That Was The Show That Was: Cymbals Eat Guitars with Bob Mould | Paradise Rock Club | 12 Sept.

We recognize the ridiculousness inherent in reviewing a show where Hüsker Dü-er and Sugar daddy Bob Mould performed, but in which he is not the star of said review, but bear with us. NYC indie rock troupe Cymbals Eat Guitars, who opened for the aforementioned Mr. Mould Friday night at Boston's legendary Paradise Rock Club, are out touring what may very well be their masterpiece, and stood to gain more than the legendary headliner if things went well. Cymbals Eat Guitars' recent third LP is simply titled Lose, and it is a dense, emotional and raw collection. That they're able to promote said record playing shows with a punk icon whose music pretty much set the curve for dense, emotional and raw music is a nifty bit of serendipity. And we're glad to report that Cymbals Eat Guitars were well-received by a crowd that included a substantial contingent of older folks more than likely inclined to consider the night's opener an afterthought, if they considered the opener at all. Happily, we counted plenty of older dudes visibly connecting with and even head-banging excitedly for the younger act.

Cymbals Eat Guitars' set unsurprisingly drew heavily from Lose, with a vital, anthemic reading of early single "Warning" setting the tone for the rest of the foursome's stage time. As noted in the press surrounding the new record, Lose represents no small mount of catharsis for fronter Joseph D'Agostino, a songwriter who played things closer to the vest on the band's earlier records. Despite the shorter time slot, D'Agostino managed to wade pretty deep into the album's emotional whorl, with album highlights "Jackson" and "XR" memorializing in part the sudden loss of a dear friend and former collaborator earlier this century. Cymbals Eat Guitars wisely ended with the record's centerpiece, the eight-minute tour de force "Laramie." The tune touts a slow build-up and concludes with a excoriating noise section during which D'Agostino wrung out notes up the fretboard from behind his head. The old punx liked that a lot. Lose was issued Aug. 26 by Barsuk Records and is available for purchase right here.

"Bob Mould still has it," I texted to a friend as I walked out of the Paradise late Friday night -- and why shouldn't he? With the exception of when he took some time away for important things like pro wrestling and dance music, the man has routinely released impressive rock 'n' roll record after impressive rock 'n' roll record, including his most recent set Beauty & Ruin. And all of that since the dissolution of his second genre-defining group, the aforementioned Sugar. Mould's set Friday was book-ended by two undisputed Hüsker Dü classics in "Flip Your Wig" and "Chartered Trips," respectively, and the meat in the middle served as a mini-"Our Band Could Be Your Life," dipping into the Hüsker and Sugar songbooks heavily, as well as Mould's impressive (and steadily growing) solo repertoire. Mould is backed by one of the best rhythm sections in punk rock, with Superchunk/Mountain Goats' John Wurster on drums and Split Single-guy Jason Narducy on bass, and together the trio impressively recreated the classic SST squall of sound that Mould helped define three decades ago with utterly classic records such as Zen Arcade and the more refined New Day Rising. The obligatory mosh pit materialized in the crowd early on, and it seems safe to assume the multi-generational melee included more than a few who had been there to thrash the first time around. Beauty & Ruin was released by Merge Records June 3 and is available for purchase right here. -- Dillon Riley

Cymbals Eat Guitars: Internerds | Facebook | Soundcloud



Bob Mould: Internerds | Facebook



Related Coverage:
Review: Bob Mould -- Silver Age/ Sugar -- Reissues
Rock Over Boston: Superchunk | Versus | Royale | 9.22.2010
Rock Over Boston | Bob Mould | Paradise
Today's Hotness: Bob Mould
Review: Bob Mould | Circle Of Friends [DVD]

Review: Bob Mould / Sugar

As the 90's waned, the clumsy term "alternative rock" became essentially meaningless as the music scene it supposedly described continued to evolve and break apart. Artists and fans that were there for the heyday in the late 80's through to the early-to-mid 90's were becoming restless as that period's commercial energy ebbed and began to age out of the demographic. Sure, there was always and always will be an underground, but this particular period saw the mainstreaming of a particular thread of the underground (at least in the U.S. - many of the bigger alternative bands of this time were much more popular in the UK and Europe than they were here). So, by the late 90's, "alternative" might have meant Squirrel Nut Zippers to some people, but it meant Limp Bizkit to others and rarely the twain did meet. Can it be any coincidence that Bizkit's debut, the Zippers' breakthrough, and Bob Mould's The Last Dog and Pony Show all came out within a year of each other?

Mould spent the first decade of this century in a wilderness. He may have found that wilderness beautiful and stimulating to explore, but many of his longtime fans were not willing to follow him there. We'd worried we lost him to the club beats and Auto-Tune that he immersed himself in after declaring he was tired of the rock band life and was ending that period of his career with 1998's The Last Dog and Pony Show. 

And damn, you know what? He'd earned it. After just shy of a decade of Hüsker Dü and another decade of Sugar and a series of mostly good-to-great solo albums, if Mould just wanted make techno albums, then so be it. I'd rather he be creating what he wanted to create rather than forcing out what he thinks people want to hear. I may not like them, but them's the breaks. And, while it's overstating it to say the he made techno albums, he certainly poured on the electronica with little restraint. A few of those albums from the 2000's have songs that are approximately rock and roll, but there's a heckuva lot of that Auto-Tune and other synth flourishes making that pill bitter to swallow. One example: 2005's Body of Song opens with the rocker "Circles," a song that wouldn't have sounded that out of place on Black Sheets of Rain or some such. It's followed directly, however, by a song called "(Shine Your) Light Love Hope," which wouldn't have sounded that out of place on a latter day Cher album.

He'd been there before. When he followed the dissolution of Hüsker Dü - so firm in their punk legend status - with the Richard Thompson-influenced acoustic-heavy Workbook in 1989, plenty of fans howled then too. But certainly not all. There was certainly precedent for it on Hüskers albums, most obviously with songs like "Hardly Getting Over It." But nothing like that prepared us for the synth-soaked Modulate and the albums that followed.

As the Aughts wore on, there were teases. Both District Line (2008) and Life and Times (2009) were promoted as Mould's return to rock - the latter's artwork recalling Workbook, interestingly. Indeed there are some nuggets in there, but they didn't feel quite right. The loud guitars were there, and yeah, Fugazi's Brendan Canty played the drums, but the club music influence still weighed heavy, and that damn Auto-Tune still sticks in my craw. Would we ever again see that take no prisoners Bob Mould we all fell in love with? And in fear of?

Taking the cues from the lyrics and video to the lead single "The Descent," this new lightning bolt of an album, Silver Age (Merge), is driven by a back-to-basics ethos. It's a risky business for a reviewer to assert an artist's level of inspiration, so driven that will always be by our projections as listeners, but damn if it doesn't seem like Mould has returned to a very comfortable place indeed. So direct and effective are these dozen songs, that it makes all of the music of his previous dozen years seem all the more labored. Why did he work so hard to come up with all of that when he could've just done this?

The opening grind and throbbing bass line of opener "Star Machine" inspires immediate hope and a growing grin that will have you embarrassingly giddy when drummer Jon Wurster (who's been touring with Mould for the last few years) starts bashing those splashy hi-hats in the chorus. The following title track? Face-melting. The single? Perfect. And so it continues with an energized Mould and his raging guitars, Wurster and his bashing drums, and Jason Narducy's pulsing bass all the way through until the ferocious "Keep Believing" gives way to the album closing epic "First Time Joy." The latter of which appearing to have a teensy touch of that Auto-Tune I appear to be obsessed with, along with a slightly cheesy synth trumpet sound, but here it works. I'm on board. Let's please do this again next year.

Someone on Twitter said that Silver Age is the Majesty Shredding of 2012. That person is correct. Your move, Pixies.

Mould has said that Silver Age was driven in part by his revisiting the music he made with Sugar, his early 90's band, and it certainly sounds that way. Sugar's tenure was brief and perfect; and their pair of albums, EP, and noteworthy B-sides, the first of which was released in 1992, were so perfect, so in my wheelhouse at that moment, that they've been forever encoded in my DNA. It never occurred to me that they could go out of print, and Merge has saved us again by reissuing the catalog this year. Like many artists of his stature coming out of a band of Hüsker Dü's stature, Mould wanted Sugar to be a band. Bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis were veterans in their own right and worthy of that task. But like with, say, Wings, some shadows loom too large.

 In '92, Bob Mould was only 5 years out of Hüsker Dü, but a pair of solo albums - a clean break with Workbook and a reclamation via Black Sheets of Rain - had pretty successfully re-framed and re-focused his career on his own terms. Sugar, as the name makes clear, was theoretically all about being a pop vehicle for Mould. There's plenty to make that case, for sure: it doesn't get much catchier than "Changes" or "Helpless." In retrospect, though, there's plenty of overlap. Make no mistake -  Black Sheets... was a seriously heavy record. A downer for some, but with an intensity rarely captured well. Howls of alienation abound, but songs like "It's Too Late," "Out of Your Life," and "Disappointed" pointed clearly in Copper Blue's direction. That debut changed the focus for sure - a lighter, brighter production and an emphasis on hooks shone some sunlight into the Mould's recently dark corner.

Then again, maybe not. A couple of tracks on that debut hinted that the heaviness was still there. Opener "The Act We Act," was one, for starters, but it was especially what was left off that made it clear that maybe not much had changed. The follow-up EP Beaster was made up of Copper Blue outtakes and painted a very different picture. The record's blood-soaked cover, religious themes, and core trio - "Tilted," "Judas Cradle," and "JC Auto" feel like an intense dive deep into Mould's psychosis. It felt almost regressive at the time it was released, but a welcome regression for many who connected with that angst.

Sugar's finale, File Under: Easy Listening, re-established and re-affirmed the band's pop mission and bettered it. It has a clearer, harder sound and a double-tracked vocal sound snuggled inside it all. There's no real evolution here but, with songs as good as these, they clearly hadn't dried up the well yet. As the pop hits go, "Your Favorite Thing" and "Gee Angel" pump up the hooks with a driving, insistent beat, and "Believe What You're Saying" is a breezy gem. Not a clunker in the bunch, save maybe Barbe's "Company Book" - it's a decent enough song, but it feels a bit leaden here among such hyperactivity.

All three of these records benefit greatly from the new mastering. It's a fine line between "bright" and "harsh," and they all leaned towards the latter. The edge has been ever so slightly refined and FU:EL in particular feels a lot more open. Listen often and listen loud, but don't forget to start with Silver Age.

-Michael Piantigini

Bob Mould: Intertubes | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Rock Over Boston: Superchunk | Versus | Royale | 9.22.2010

[Superchunk at Royale in Boston, MA 9/21/10. Photo by Michael Piantigini. A few more from the night here.]
Remember that feeling you used to get as a teenager when you'd go to the Worcester Centrum kinda early to see... let's say Van Halen, and on the scoreboard they'd be running through the stuff coming up there, and it would eventually cycle back around to Van Halen and everyone would go crazy? That's how I felt in the hours leading up to Superchunk's return to Boston.

No, they never really broke up, but this still felt like an event. Hell, they've been away about as long as Pavement (that is, a lifetime), and look at those guys. Those of us still suspicious of (though often giving in to) nostalgia are fortunate that Superchunk is supporting their excellent new album, Majesty Shredding (Merge), which has been so warmly received that the Boston crowd knew and loved the new songs enough that they were cheering for tracks like "My Gap Feels Weird" and "Digging For Something" nearly as much as many of the oldies. This is a great sign. Hopefully Superchunk will take it that way too, and keep this going.

But yes, they did play "Slack Motherfucker," too, which is a stone-cold, capital-A Anthem every bit as much as, say, "Born To Run," even if most people don't know it (whoever they are).

The crowd was oddly low-energy in the early going (I'm very disappointed in us for not going more crazy for "Seed Toss" in the two-slot), but Superchunk inevitably powered through it; Laura Ballance's pogoing and Mac Macaughan's manic energy that had him covering a lot of stage wound up the crowd enough that there was (of course) plenty of pogoing, a bit of a pit going for a while, and even a solitary stage dive. Just like back in the day. How great it was, also, to see Jon Wurster drumming his "regular" gig again after spending the last decade making comedy and drumming with everyone from the Mountain Goats to Aimee Mann to Bob Mould.

Mixing it up really well, the band drew pretty evenly from their entire catalog, eventually playing tracks from each of their albums with the exception of 2001's underrated Here's To Shutting Up. The encore brought a trio of cool local tributes: Mac Macaughan's recounting of a time that Boston scene godfather Billy Ruane told him that their new album at the time was nearing "Buffalo Tom-level intensity;" and covers of Sebadoh's "Brand New Love" (a long-time Superchunk cover), and 80's Boston punk legends SSD's "Glue." Late set explosions "The First Part" and "Package Thief" cemented the deal.

It's way too easy to make jokes about shows like this having early set times due to the ages of those involved, but Superchunk rendered them null and void, and with the manic aural adrenaline shot "Precision Auto" for a closer, it's doubtful anyone could go right to bed afterwards, no matter the age. (See the full setlist below).

Versus had the unenviable task of opening up this event, but I was nearly as excited to see them as the headliners. Their last time in town was at the shows for the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Jon Bernhardt's time on WMBR's essential Breakfast of Champions morning show. Which is only appropriate, because I first heard Versus' "Silver Vein" on Bernhardt's show all those years ago, but they're now firmly on a comeback trail of their own behind their own great new album On The Ones And Threes (Merge).

They're at their live best when Richard Baluyut's distortion-drenched guitar cranks up, and we got some particularly great flashes of that with tracks from the new one like the Zeppelinesque riffing of album-opener "Invincible Hero," the epic stomper "Cicada," as well as the title track before they wound down with another rarity, the slow-burn title cut to their 1996 EP, Deep Red.

Versus have a pretty chill stage demeanor as it is, and the early set times didn't do them any favors, as they opened up to a still mostly empty room. This contributed to a mostly low-key set that, like Superchunk's, did warm some as it went on and they played a clutch of their own classics, like the trio of "Circle," "Be-9," and, especially, "River" from 1995 fan-favorite, The Stars Are Insane. These were in short supply the WMBR show, so it was great to have these back on the setlist. Hopefully, their new activity will lead to a return to regular Boston visits? Please?

SCHEDULE CHANGE! Tonight was to have been Bettie Serveert's first visit to these shores in a while, but immigration issues have delayed the Dutch band. Glad to see that it was so quickly re-scheduled, though it is messing with my 90's week some. The new date is Tuesday, November 2nd at TT's. Your tickets are still good! I heaped praise upon their 2010 release, Pharmacy of Love, over here.

- Michael Piantigini

Superchunk at Royale, Boston, MA 9/21/2010:
Why Do You Have to Put a Date on Everything
Seed Toss
My Gap Feels Weird
Rosemarie
Cursed Mirror
Detroit Has a Skyline
Fractures in Plaster
Watery Hands
Nu Bruises
Slow Drip
Digging For Something
Driveway to Driveway
The First Part
Package Thief
Everything At Once
Slack Motherfucker

Encore:
Like a Fool
Brand New Love (Sebadoh cover)
Hyper Enough
Glue (SSD cover)
Precision Auto

Superchunk: Intertubes | Tour Diary | MySpace | Superchunk on Twitter | Jon Wurster on Twitter
Versus: MySpace | Fan Site
Merge Records: Intertubes
Bettie Serveert: Intertubes | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

That Was The Show That Was: Mission of Burma | The Paradise | 16 Jan.

[File Photo: Jay Breitling] You’ve gotta give the guys in Mission Of Burma credit. They haven’t been content to just get the old band back together and play somewhat lucrative gigs at festivals and in college towns (I’m looking at you, Pixies).

Since reuniting in 2002, the storied Boston-based trio has already surpassed its 1979-1983 output: Mission Of Burma has released three excellent studio albums and managed to maintain the blistering live sound it developed the first time around. Over the weekend Burma played two shows at the Paradise to showcase material from its latest album, The Sound The Speed The Light (Matador).

On Saturday, the band played to a near-full house and, as with the several shows I’ve seen them do over the last eight years, they showed no signs of slowing down. Maybe they don't play as many gigs as they used to, but the ones they do play pack a punch. Unlike previous Burma shows, the crowd at the Paradise Saturday seemed a lot younger. Guitarist-singer Roger Miller and bassist-singer Clint Conley kept up a breakneck pace while drummer-singer Peter Prescott kept things light with plenty of his patented hollering and between-song wisecracks. Bob Weston provided tape loops from his perch at the mixing board.

Miller, whose problems with tinnitus led to the band’s 1983 breakup, no longer wears the industrial headphones onstage, opting for in-ear plugs. As with fellow ’80s indie rock guitar gods J. Mascis and Bob Mould, Miller continues to play at ear-splitting volume. Conley pounded out frenetic bass runs and seemed to have fun responding to Prescott’s remarks and pointing out familiar faces in the crowd.

The 75-minute set was packed with songs from the three newer albums -- "1, 2, 3 Partyy!!!" and "SSL83" from the latest release and "Spider's Web" and "2wice" from The Obliterati were standouts -- as well as choice cuts from the band's first incarnation. These included "The Ballad of Johnny Burma," "This is Not a Photograph," "Dumbbells," and the post-punk classics "Academy Fight Song" and "That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate." Conspicuously absent was the band’s signature song, "That’s When I Reach for My Revolver."

Burma also broke out a few brand new songs, including "Hi Fi," which Prescott announced was "fresh off the production line." If the new stuff is any indication, it looks like we can expect more great things from the band in the future. -- Jay Kumar

Mission Of Burma -- "1, 2, 3 Partyy!!!" -- The Sound The Speed The Light
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[buy Mission Of Burma releases from the band here]

Mission Of Burma: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Previous Mission Of Burma Coverage:
That Was The Show That Was: Mission Of Burma | 6/14/2008
Today's Hotness: The Notwist, Mission Of Burma, Yah Mos Def
Today's Hotness: Hockey Night, The Cure, Mission Of Burma
Review: Not A Photograph | The Mission Of Burma Story [DVD]

Rock Over Boston | Bob Mould | Paradise

[Photos by Michael Piantigini]

One of the most amazing shows I've ever seen was Bob Mould's stop in Boston on the Black Sheets of Rain tour. That album is arguably his darkest and most chilling - he's working something out on it, and by showtime, he was still working on it. When he took the stage and strummed the opening chords to "Wishing Well..." Well, "strummed" doesn't do it justice, because I don't know if I've experienced three more profound chords. He may as well have punched each one of us in the gut. There was an electricity that was palpable in Citi (as it was known before it became Avalon - and that wasn't a corporate name, by the way) that was exhilarating and draining. I am not kidding when I say the show could have ended right then and we all would have felt like we got our money's worth.

This wasn't that show.

I'll admit that it has been taking me a long time to come to terms with the evolution of Bob Mould. I still don't know if I'm there. I haven't really embraced any of this decade's worth of his albums (though this year's Life and Times is certainly a step in the right direction). The influence of his DJ life on his music of the rock variety has been bumpy; was laughingstock Auto-Tune ever really a good idea? It's on the new record, even, though mercifully toned down compared to the last couple. I'm sure he doesn't care - why should he? He doesn't owe rock music any more than he's already contributed, and I wouldn't expect or want him to keep re-making the same record.

Which is part of what makes the set list for the recent tours, including last night's stop at the Paradise, such a surprise. It's all about giving the people what they want. Who'd a-thunk that, say, The Who would play more songs from their new record last time they came through town than Bob Mould did last night? Only four songs came from the new one, including the great single "I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand in My Light Anymore." And what's more, only "Circles," from 2005's Body of Song even came from this decade. Going all the way back to 1984 for the opener, Zen Arcade's "Something I Learned Today" set the pace for the most energetic set from Mould I've seen in years. Material from 1989's Workbook got a particularly strong workout: "Wishing Well" had some snarl though "Poison Years" didn't quite give the chills it once did. Sugar was well-represented by b-side "Needle Hits E," and crowd-faves "Your Favorite Thing" and "Hoover Dam." Ultimately, it was hard to argue with the four-song set closing Husker Du assault.

The difference-maker on this tour is the hardest working man in show business, Jon Wurster. Mould introduced him as "direct from Comedy Central," because 24 hours earlier, he was in New York drumming with the Mountain Goats on the Colbert Report. Between that, his comedy career with Tom Scharpling on WFMU, and all the recent activity of his "regular" gig with Superchunk, it is hard to fathom how he keeps up. You'd never know he did anything else but drum with Bob Mould though, as he clearly is having a blast doing it. He's probably the most fun drummer to watch since Keith Moon, singing along, pulling faces, and just his general enthusiasm. It'll be disappointing if we find out he's on 'roids. His spirit is infectious: Mould was loose and cracking more than a few smiles throughout the set.

As unsure as I am of Mould's recent material, I am just as skeptical of shows like this where the pander level is high. I didn't get into Bob Mould the entertainer. I got into the Bob Mould who gut-punched me. In the end, though, the energy and enthusiasm of a good night like last night gave the songs enough life to remind us where they - and we - came from. - Michael Piantigini

Bob Mould: Internets | MySpace | Boblog | Flickr | YouTube

Bob Mould at the Paradise, Boston, MA 10/7/2009:
1. Something I Learned Today
2. A Good Idea
3. Argos
4. Needle Hits E
5. Your Favorite Thing
6. Life and Times
7. The Breach
8. I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand in My Light Anymore
9. Wishing Well
10. See A Little Light
11. Hoover Dam
12. Sinners and Their Repentances
13. Hardly Getting Over It
14. Poison Years
15. I Apologize
16. Chartered Trips
17. Celebrated Summer
18. In A Free Land

Encore:
19. Circles
20. If I Can't Change Your Mind

Today's Hotness: Sea And Cake, All Tomorrows Parties, Bob Mould

>> The new video for veteran, Chicago-based indie rock act The Sea And Cake's "Weekend" is very good -- but the song itself is amazing. The track, from the band's forthcoming long-player Car Alarm, is perhaps the most sonically forthright return to the blissed-out electropop sounds captured on the quartet's peerless 1997 effort The Fawn. This is interesting, because when we reviewed the quartet's previous record Everybody here in April 2007, we noted that the collection reminded us of one of our two favorite records from The Sea And Cake to date, The Biz. The Biz is more guitar-oriented than its successor The Fawn, and we're wondering if Car Alarm might similarly be more electronically oriented than Everybody. We suppose time will tell. And while the video -- posted here to Pitchfork.TV last week -- complements very well the tune's carefree feel, it is hard not to just focus on the gorgeous melodies floating among a clutter of digital tones and held aloft by persistent acoustic guitar strumming. The Sea And Cake's eighth record in fifteen years, Car Alarm will be released by Thrill Jockey Oct. 21. More details and ordering information is online right here. Below are The Sea And Cake's fall tour dates, which include a show at The Middle East Rock Club here in Cambridge, Mass. Nov. 12.

09/27 -- Chicago, IL -- Symphony Center
11/07 -- Philadelphia, PA -- First Unitarian Church
11/08 -- Washington, DC -- Black Cat
11/10 -- New York, NY -- Bowery Ballroom
11/11 -- Brooklyn, NY -- Music Hall
11/12 -- Boston, MA -- Middle East
11/13 -- Montreal, PQ -- La Sala Rossa
11/14 -- Toronto, ON -- Lee's Palace
11/15 -- Chicago, IL -- Empty Bottle
11/28 -- Portland, OR -- Doug Fir Lounge
11/29 -- Seattle, WA -- Chop Suey
12/02 -- San Francisco, CA -- Great American Music Hall
12/03 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Troubadour
12/04 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Troubadour
12/05 -- Pomona, CA -- Glass House
12/06 -- San Diego, CA -- Casbah

>> Esteemed independent radio broadcaster WFMU will air and stream certain live performances from next weekend's sure-to-be monumental All Tomorrows Parties Festival, which is being curated in part by legendary shoegaze quartet My Bloody Valentine and includes performances by it, Dinosaur Jr., Lilys, Mercury Rev, Polvo, Yo La Tengo and many others. WFMU has not yet received permission from all performers to bitcast and broadcast their performances, but it is working on securing as many assents as possible. A list in this blog post seems to say that we'll be able to hear sets from many of the bands we listed above, as well as sets from Bob Mould, Low, Brian Jonestown Massacre and others; hit this link to see what is hopefully an expanding roster. We're gutted to have to miss this festival, so the fact that WFMU has stepped into the breech for all of us out here in radioland is greatly appreciated.

>> Speaking of Bob Mould, the storied songwriter and former fronter of Hüsker Dü and Sugar will publish an autobiography in the fall of 2010. Mr. Mould has signed and agreement with Little, Brown to release the book, which will be written in tandem with veteran rock journalist Michael Azerrad. Mr. Azerrad previously wrote the excellent "Our Band Could Be Your Life" as well as the highly regarded "Come As You Are: The Story Of Nirvana." One of our favorite Mould jams is "Celebrated Summer," which was released by Hüsker Dü as a single in 1984 to promote the album it was released on, the epic New Day Rising. Since the autumnal equinox is just a week away, the song feels appropriate. Enjoy.

Hüsker Dü -- "Celebrated Summer" -- New Day Rising
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[buy Bob Mould, Sugar and Hüsker Dü records from Newbury Comics here]

>> Our friend BrighAAAAm has been talking about The Flaming Lips' movie-in-progress "Christmas On Mars" for about seven or eight years. And, after seeing some tantalizing footage in the band documentary "Fearless Freaks," the feature film is finally upon us. It apparently began screening recently in New York, although the possibility of a broader release may be hamstrung by the fact that Lips fronter Wayne Coyne insists that the film only be viewed in a special screening room with a custom sound system. Earfarm has more details and awesome video clips right here.

Today's Hotness: Lemonheads, Bob Mould, Superman Revenge Squad

>> We're finding it hard to get excited about the forthcoming Lemonheads record, which is called Varshons and will be released by Vagrant on Sept. 13. That's because, as Pun Canoes reports here, the set features no new Lemonheads tracks (penned by fronter Evan Dando or otherwise). Instead Varshons collects Dando's versions of 11 songs popularized by artists including longtime Dando influence Gram Parsons, Wire, Christina Aguilera and Leonard Cohen, among others. Making it somewhat less of a Lemonheads affair are guest vocal performances from celebrities Liv Tyler (who is admittedly quite musically pedigreed) and Kate Moss. While we loved Juliana Hatfield and Belinda Carlisle's contributions to the Lemonheads catalog, those women are, you know, actually musicians. Check out the full track listing for Varshons right here. The Lemonheads' previous record was a self-titled set recorded with former Descendants Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez; it was released in September 2006. The buzz on the Lemonheads forum is that Mr. Dando continues to write songs for a new album. We reviewed a December 2006 Lemonheads show right here.

>> We were very tickled to see revered solo artist and former Husker Du and Sugar fronter Bob Mould give props to Ringo Deathstarr at his blog yesterday. They were very understated props for the Austin-based shoegaze outfit, but they were props nonetheless. The primary purpose of Mr. Mould's post was to offer details about his next record. The set will be issued on Anti- in February 2009 and it is in Mould's parlance a "guitar record." A tour will follow the release. Mould's implicit praise for The Deathstarr (and, incidentally, the San Antonio/Austin representing act Honey Thief) inspires fantasies in us of 1) his new record featuring a heavy shoegaze sound and 2) his taking Ringo Deathstarr on tour with him. How awesome would that be? About as awesome as the track below, we reckon. We reviewed Bob Mould's "Circle Of Friends" DVD here in October 2007; Mould's most recent record District Line was issued on Anti- in January of this year.

Ringo Deathstarr -- "Sweet Girl" -- Ringo Deathstarr EP
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[buy Ringo Deathstarr from Spoilt Victorian Child Records right here]

>> Superman Revenge Squad recently recorded 11 tracks that are being considered for release as an album tentatively titled This Is My Own Personal Way Of Dealing With It All. The songs were recorded by a fellow named Simon, who traveled recently to the Squad's home base in Croydon, England to do the session. No word on which tracks were recorded and when we might be hearing them. But we don't imagine it will be too long. Superman Revenge Squad is the solo project of former Tempertwig and Nosferatu D2 fronter Ben Parker. Parker plays what is now a rare full-band gig in two weeks to celebrate his birthday; the band will include Mr. Parker's brother and longtime former bandmate on drums, as well as a cellist, according to this blog post. Superman Revenge Squad will also play a gig in Berlin this fall.

>> British regulatory body OfCom has banned Johnny Foreigner's video for "Salt, Peppa and Spinderella" from being broadcast on MTV2 and other outlets because it is feared the jittery clip for the forthcoming single could incite seizures in epileptics. This all according to a MySpace bulletin from Alexei Berrow, fronter of the Birmingham, England-based indie rock behemoth. DrownedInSound runs down all the major details right here.

Today's Hotness: SSM, Dirty On Purpose, Morrissey

>> The guitar chord you are about to hear is from the video clip for Morrissey's "The First Of The Gang To Die" posted below. Go down and hit pause now so as not to get startled.

>> This very brief item at Pun Canoes about a forthcoming tour from Detroit garage rockers The Von Bondies reminded us of SSM, as the latter act is supporting the former on a slate of dates next month. SSM's self-titled 2006 set had a couple very strong tracks, and every time "The Seer" or "The Fourth" rises to the top during a shuffle of the IPod we always look up with a raised eyebrow to wonder, hey, who's that rocking us so steadfastly? The latter track is particularly bracing, a real scritchy screamer with a Leslie cabinet effect on the vocal. We've posted an MP3 below.

A quick trip to the SSM web hutch reveals that the organ/guitar/drums trio, whose component members' first letters of their last names provide the initials by which the band is known, is about to release its sophomore full length, Break Your Arm For Evolution. The same site is hosting a preview MP3 for the tune "Start Dancing", whose ID3 tag indicates the track is actually titled "Don't Stop Dancing." An odd coincidence, as you may recall the Bob Mould track we wrote about on Tuesday was also mislabeled -- get on the stick, content people! Anyway, the new SSM tune is an altogether odd, key-jumping track that doesn't necessarily "garage" or "rock" -- instead we get drum machines, synths and organ laying down a mid-tempo groove before the guitar and chorus arrive and try to smash through the door all at once like The Three Stooges. It's actually a really great song, so we're also posting that link below. And suddenly we're excited to hear Break Your Arm For Evolution, which arrives on Alive Records next month. We reviewed SSM's self-titled set here last year. The tour with The Von Bondies is next month, and you can check out all the dates here. SSM plays Great Scott in Boston Jan. 22.

SSM -- "Don't Stop Dancing" -- Break Your Arm For Evolution
SSM -- "The Fourth" -- SSM
[right click and save as]
[buy SSM records from Newbury Comics here]

>> This irritatingly upper-cased RCRD LBL thing is really taking off. Or at least they seem to have announcements everyday about exclusives with one band or another. And finally they've announced one with a band we like. Yesterday Brooklyn-based nu-gazers Dirty On Purpose disclosed they would issue for free download Dec. 11 via RCRDLBL.com the single "Leaving." The quartet said it would release an additional three singles through the site. In other Dirty On Purpose news, the band will issue its long awaited Like Bees EP Jan. 15, and the digital version will come with bonus tracks. If one takes all of this news in sum, it sort of makes one wonder why -- if the band had all this material -- they didn't issue a full-length record. We reviewed Dirty On Purpose's most recent Cambridge show at the Middle East Rock Club here in October.

>> Alt-music icon Morrissey is pretty high up on our list of performers we've never seen that we'd like to see before we get too old to want to see anything. The fact that he plays venues that are substantially larger than the kind of rinky-dink rooms we prefer doesn't help our cause. But this video clip below that was Forkcasted recently just reminded us that we should probably pay attention to those 2008 Morrissey dates. Here it is below, Moz belting out "The First Of The Gang To Die."

[The fact that we couldn't stop that Morrissey clip from autoplaying everytime the page loaded was driving us crazy, so we deleted it. You can watch the clip at this link]

Today's Hotness: Evangelicals, Bob Mould, Destroyer

>> Oklahoma's finest psych rockers Evangelicals -- honestly, do you *really* think Flaming Lips still rock? -- have been making news faster than we could get to it in the past week. Word arrived last week that the trio (actually the band is a foursome in its latest press photos), led by songwriter and guitarist Josh Jones, will release its sophomore record The Evening Descends Jan. 22 on fledgling label concern Dead Oceans. The set will include 11 tracks, including two numbers you may already be familiar with. The melodic thumper "Skeleton Man" was recorded for a Daytrotter Session earlier this year, and a demo version of "Snowflakes" was circulated in February when the formation of Dead Oceans was announced with Evangelicals as one of its initial signings.

Speaking of new music, Mr. Jones has decided to parley his success with the 2006 Halloween blogosphere hit "Halloween Song" into a bit of a cottage industry, as today the band is distributing a second seasonal jam, "The Last Christmas On Earth." Snag the MP3 below, as well as the MP3 of the demo of "Snowflakes." A seasonal two-fer for you from Mr. Jones, as it were. Longtime readers will recall we rhapsodized about Evangelicals smoke machine-augmented and altogether dark and Hendrixian live date at TT The Bear's in Nov. 2006. You can read the review here.

Evangelicals -- "The Last Christmas On Earth" -- A Verry SeXXXy XXXmas
Evangelicals -- "Snowflakes (Demo)" -- Extremely Dark Nights
[right click and save as]
[buy Evangelicals records from Newbury Comics here]

>> Spinner has an exclusive on the first preview MP3 from Bob Mould's forthcoming solo set The District Line. The track is called "The Distance Between Us." Actually, the ID3 tag says "The Silence Between Us" and a cursory listen suggests the ID3 tag is correct. It also suggests the tune is not that dissimilar from Mr. Mould's later Husker Du or early solo material, as "The Silence Between Us" touts a lighter acoustic guitar-driven verse. And a great bridge section. On the whole it's a very nice track that we expect we'll be listening to a lot. Grab it here. We reviewed Mr. Mould's DVD "Circle Of Friends" here in October. The District Line will be released on Anti- in February.

>> That new Destroyer tune "Foam Hands" is the jam, albeit a patient one with fewer lyrics to pore over and decipher than we would have hoped. And there's a fair amount of strumming that consumes the last 72 seconds on the short track, which will be released -- likely to great fanfare, although Destroyer's Rubies will be hard to top -- by Merge as part of the forthcoming set Trouble In Dreams March 18. Catbird Seat has the MP3 here. Dig away.

>> An administrative note: so we had to bail on the Mobius Band show because of some work emergencies that piled up while we were in Manhattan Friday for the amazing Los Campesinos!/Spinto Band/Johnny Foreigner show. As such, we can't deliver the promised live review of the show, although we did get a brief recap from Mr. Bitter via IM last night. Here's hoping the band is back again soon.

Today's Hotness: Modest Mouse, Johnny Foreigner, Jakobinarina

>> Little of what Modest Mouse has done in the ensuing 12 years or so has equaled to our ears their amazing first single, "Broke" b/w "Whenever I Breathe Out You Breathe In." We capital L Love the song "Broke," and probably listened to it more than anything else in 1996. Imagine our surprise to see Modest Mouse performing the tune live in a clip over at AOL Music. The original recording is perhaps the bitterest, most heartbroken three minutes Modest Mouse has ever mustered. This AOL version is a little "soft rock," but you should do what you can to acquire the original single and the version of the song from the excellent bootleg Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again. On the upside, this live performance features a lot of very interesting guitar work from Johnny Marr.

>> You didn't think we'd just stop talking about Johnny Foreigner, did you? The Birmingham, UK trio of indie rock heroes has just announced a hard release date for its debut EP Arcs Across The City. Best Before Records will issue the six-, errrr... seven-song set Nov. 26. There's no American release date, we suspect because there is no American label or distro, so you'll need to hoard away excess beer money to pay for the import. Apparently the lucky few in England have already received promos, and the early buzz is all raves, predictably. This is especially predictable because Johnny Foreigner is streaming most of the EP, or at least most of the songs from the EP (but perhaps different versions) at its MySpace wigwam here. We're most excited by talk that the quiet ballad "All Mosely Gardens" is included as a secret track, because this song is stunning, amazing, the bee's knees, et cetera and et cetera. Track listing, you ask? This is what the message board kids are saying:

1. Champagne Girls I Have Known
2. The End And Everything After
3. Suicide Pact, Yeh?
4. Yes! You Talk Too Fast
5. Sofacore
6. This Band Is Killing Us
7. All Mosely Gardens (secret track! shhhhhh!)

The package itself features pop-up art and sounds pretty amazing. Anything else? The band received an advance which it is using to spruce up their gear and to book studio time for rehearsing and writing new songs. The band already has a million songs, so we are not sure what use they have for any more, but more power to 'em. Johnny Foreigner has also apparently been chosen to promote Levis jeans? Well, if you gotta shill for something, we guess that is probably the best possible choice. At least until they can get work promoting Pac Man, which is due for a resurgence in 5, 4, 3... Anyway, here is a version of the single "Sometimes In The Bullring" for your listening pleasure.

Johnny Foreigner -- "Sometimes In The Bullring" -- 3/12/2007 Version
[right click and save as]
[stalk the Best Before Records site to wait for pre-orders to begin for Arcs Across The City here]

>> Holy cow. Jakobinarina. So great. Check them out at Another Form Of Relief here.

>> The release date of the forthcoming Bob Mould set has been announced. According to Pun Canoes, District Line will be issued by Anti on Feb. 5. More details and a track list here.

>> We love how Mr. Catbirdseat offers a much-needed piss-take now and again to keep everyone on their toes. Observe.

>> We refuse to believe that the only way to get rid of all the padded mailers in our house is to throw them away. Are you a small indie label or band about to do a big CD mailing? If so, consider reusing our padded mailers. We will send them to you for free, whereever you are, as long as it is in the United States. We will thank your band or label in this blog for taking them and refusing to let them line a landfill.

Review: Bob Mould | Circle Of Friends [DVD]

More so than any other concert film we've watched in recent memory, the new Bob Mould DVD "Circle Of Friends" conveys the feeling that you are actually at the show. We don't mean to say that the experience is flawless; it feels a lot like being close to the stage, but maybe off to one side. This is primarily because, curiously, "Circle Of Friends" doesn't feature a single straight-on shot of Mr. Mould while he is performing. All the tight "one shots" of the storied songwriter are shot up from the floor of the venue. It's an oddity in an otherwise very good film.

Shot at the final gig of a six-week tour in 2005 at the 9:30 Club in Mould's most recent hometown Washington, D.C., "Circle Of Friends" captures Mould reconciling with his guitar-heavy past. The show is surprisingly devoid of the dance-oriented sounds that captivated the former Husker Du and Sugar fronter in recent years, despite the fact that his DJ partner Richard Morel (a/k/a just plain old Morel) plays keys as part of the touring band. Rounding out the combo is ace Fugazi skin pounder Brendan Canty and the very able bassist and backing singer Jason Narducy, whose contributions go a long way to fill out the live sound.

Another thing we didn't expect was the pre-show interviews with each of the players, which combine into a little featurette about how Mould rounded up the members of his backing band. But the real show here is the combo's vibrant, angsty performances. It takes a few songs for Mould and Co. to really nail the groove (which is too bad, as cataclysmic opener "The Act We Act," the lead cut on Sugar's electrifying debut and a :: clicky clicky :: favorite, would have shone more brightly later in the set) but once that happens -- around the solo in "Paralyzed" -- the performance is a series of air-tight, no-nonsense (no stage patter, either), gloriously heavy rock songs.

Highlights include the surprising guitar work on the fretboard during the solo of "Hoover Dam" and the slowed-down, subdued version of "Hardly Getting Over It." The quiet treatment for that latter tune deftly sets up well-time dynamic explosions in the last verse. And then the song steps directly into a one-two punch of Husker Du classics, "Could You Be The One?" and then a soaring version of "I Apologize."

An insert in the DVD case promotes Mould's forthcoming set District Line, which will be released in January on Anti. According to the ad, the record contains "memorable melodies, heart-heavy lyrics, plenty of guitars." It's little surprise that that's exactly what "Circle Of Friends" delivers as well. Mould began a tour promoting the DVD release in Chicago Tuesday night; there were apparently some problems with "DVD playback," according to one his most recent blog posts, but we're certain any kinks will be worked out by the time Mould hits the Paradise Lounge in Boston Nov. 5. Full promo tour dates are below. Buy "Circle Of Friends" from MVD right here.

Bob Mould: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

10/10 -- Bryant Lake Bowl -- Minneapolis, Minnesota
10/12 -- Chop Suey -- Seattle, Washington
10/14 -- Doug Fir Lounge -- Portland, Oregon
10/16 -- Herbst Theater -- San Francisco, California
10/17 -- The Roxy Theater -- Hollywood, California
10/20 -- Lincoln Theater -- Washington, Washington DC
10/20 -- 9:30 Club -- Washington, Washington DC
11/02 -- Highline Ballroon -- New York, New York
11/05 -- Paradise Lounge -- Boston, Massachusetts
11/08 -- Gravity Lounge -- Charlottesville, Virginia
11/10 -- John & Peter’s -- New Hope
11/11 -- World Cafe Live -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11/17 -- 9:30 Club -- Washington, DC
12/08 -- Highline Ballroom -- New York, New York
12/15 -- 9:30 Club -- Washington, DC

Today's Hotness: Last.fm, Matador, Bob Mould

>> We've had a drink or two too many out with our boss earlier tonight to finish it, but you can expect our year-end album list Wednesday or Thursday night before we shut down clicky clicky for the rest of the year.

>> Whoah, has anyone noticed the (presumably) new functionality at Last.fm where if there is a (presumably) free and legal MP3 available for a song in your recently played list, it links to it? Wild. Genius. Anybody looking at our profile right now is able to get their grubby mitts on two quality Okkervil River MP3s. Of course, by the time you have read this we will have synched our IPod once more -- who knows what free rock awaits you now? And wait, if you go here, there is free indie rock galore. Crazy! Last.fm is really raising its game lately.

>> Matador says bye-bye to Insound here. Maybe those pre-orders will actually start arriving on time now...

>> We think this means you can expect to see Bob Mould on "The Henry Rollins Show" sometime soon.

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Today's Hotness: The Beatings, Bob Mould, Modest Mouse

>> Clicky Clicky's most neglected band The Beatings, whose 2006 record we enjoy greatly but who we can't seem to actually get out of the house to see play a show, was recently featured on the Band In Boston podcast. The band delivers eight tunes, including a pretty soulful version of "Upstate Flashbacks." The local act performs semi-acoustic and with an organist sitting in for bassist Erin Dalbec, giving the proceedings an unusually rootsy feel. Typically The Beatings bring more of a Mission Of Burma-influenced, in-your-face assault (in fact the band is interviewed in the Burma documentary we reviewed here last week), and to prove it we're pointing to an MP3 below. And you can snatch down the MP3 or subscribe to the podcast here. We reviewed The Beatings' Holding On To Hand Grenades here at the beginning of the year.

The Beatings -- "Feel Good Ending" -- Holding On To Hand Grenades
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>> In a move reminiscent of the bizarro-world occurrence of Superchunk opening for relative youngsters The Get Up Kids several years ago (described by Superchunk's Jon Wurster here), Bob Mould reports here that the Bob Mould Band will support Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!! for a New Year's Eve show in New York City. In case you've been under a rock for the last week, The Clap announced details about its sophomore set and posted two new MP3s. You can find them everywhere, so there's no need for us to point to them here.

>> So yeah, remember when that Modest Mouse record was sposed to come out on the 19th of this month? Word on the Filter blog here is it will be more like March. This Modest Mouse Wikipedia entry cites the official Modest Mouse site as stating the album has been postponed until "early next year." We're sure the delay means the record will leak in three, two, one...

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